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Conference looks at use of Facebook as evidence
By Tony Romm on 3/1/07
Lawyers and college administrators debated whether Facebook should be used as a law enforcement tool at a conference on student policing and privacy hosted by Stetson University Monday, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. AU does not use Facebook as evidence against students, according to Gail Hanson, vice president for Campus Life.
The renewed concern over the sanctity of students' social networking Web sites and cause of the conference comes after a vandalism incident at DePauw University in October. Administrators, relying on a tip they had received, used postings from Facebook to identify and punish several students for defacing school property, the Chronicle reported.
Facebook, a popular social networking Web site originally created just for college students, allows users to create profiles filled with content of their choosing and to connect with friends, family and faculty in and outside of their school. Presently, 90 percent of undergraduates who are eligible have a Facebook profile, the Chronicle reported.
Hanson said DePauw University's actions underlie a concern many AU students have.
"Campus Life just talked about the [intricacies] of electronic communities," Hanson said. "We cautioned students ... to use Facebook wisely. But we don't monitor Facebook profiles, look at pictures or what students have written."
Hanson also said under no circumstances is Facebook or related Internet evidence used to generate cases against students. While AU may consider content posted on social networking Web sites after Public Safety files a complaint, administrators do so very cautiously because Internet evidence is neither strong enough nor verifiable enough to be absolute, she said.
However, Hanson would not directly comment on whether DePauw's actions were appropriate.
"What DePauw did was right for DePauw," Hanson said. "Our approach may be very different."
Tessa Raden, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was skeptical of all schools' examinations of Facebook profiles to police students.
The renewed concern over the sanctity of students' social networking Web sites and cause of the conference comes after a vandalism incident at DePauw University in October. Administrators, relying on a tip they had received, used postings from Facebook to identify and punish several students for defacing school property, the Chronicle reported.
Facebook, a popular social networking Web site originally created just for college students, allows users to create profiles filled with content of their choosing and to connect with friends, family and faculty in and outside of their school. Presently, 90 percent of undergraduates who are eligible have a Facebook profile, the Chronicle reported.
Hanson said DePauw University's actions underlie a concern many AU students have.
"Campus Life just talked about the [intricacies] of electronic communities," Hanson said. "We cautioned students ... to use Facebook wisely. But we don't monitor Facebook profiles, look at pictures or what students have written."
Hanson also said under no circumstances is Facebook or related Internet evidence used to generate cases against students. While AU may consider content posted on social networking Web sites after Public Safety files a complaint, administrators do so very cautiously because Internet evidence is neither strong enough nor verifiable enough to be absolute, she said.
However, Hanson would not directly comment on whether DePauw's actions were appropriate.
"What DePauw did was right for DePauw," Hanson said. "Our approach may be very different."
Tessa Raden, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was skeptical of all schools' examinations of Facebook profiles to police students.
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