In Old Saybrook Connecticut, a high school ran an internet safety assembly.
Yet many students felt violated and that the school had infringed on their privacy. The school used photos, tweets and status updates from freshman that were required to attend the assembly.
The school found these items because students had no idea how to protect their privacy, which is something that we have spoken about in class often. Debating the idea of protecting our Internet privacy and younger generations living in a world where everything is sharable.
The principle of the school insists “say the purpose of the assembly was to make students aware of how public their “tweets,” photos and profiles are online if their privacy settings aren’t strict enough”. The school used photos and other items that were publically accessible.
I think the students that are outraged should be learning a lesson and understanding that it is not only their friends who can access their internet personas but parents, teachers, etc. I believe the school taught its lesson on privacy in a really effective way, by showing the lack of it that so many students have.
The actions of this Connecticut school may seem invasive and embarrassing at first, but they really make sense. Since teenagers are sometimes stubborn and ignorant with their Facebook profile accessibility, this presentation is actually just an example of tough love. This assembly was probably the most effective way for students to actually learn the potential harm from leaving their Facebook content out in the open. The content was publicly accessible according to the article which means it should be perfectly acceptable for the school to make an example out of these kids. The freshmen students might not see it now, because they are too busy being enraged and humiliated, but they will be entering college and work environments soon enough where their Facebook profiles will be searched for any “inappropriate behavior”. The fact that the police and the principal were all involved stating the “school administrators and police didn’t intend to make anyone upset…and they’re talking with those who were uncomfortable with their photos being used” shows that there was simply good intent for these students. I was reading the comments on the article, and everyone agreed this was just a reality check for these students. It really isn’t a violation of privacy if your Facebook content is accessible for others to see.
I agree with you that this was a very effective way for students to learn internet etiquette and the importance of privacy settings. The school assembly may have actually avoided a lot of problems in these students’ futures. If you have a right to privacy, why not use it?