Facebook and Universities

[White94]

Hey everyone,

So I was hanging out with a few friends (a rarity as an IB student) and a debate got started about facebook and how apparently universities look at profiles of potential students to pretty much snoop around and see their pictures and what they get up to.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, it got me thinking.

Is it allowable for universities to snoop on someones profile?

They do set their profile as public, but that being said, does that make it right?

This can also discuss employers snooping on potential/current employees

Keep it friendly -please-

P.S Found this http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122170459104151023.html

[Drake Glau]

I don't see why not.

For employers it's an easy argument. When you signed that application contract you agreed to a full background check by any means; this check can include FB.

Universities I see no problem with either. They want the right students so why not go see what they're up to? If you keep your profile open and public it's just that, open and public.

Even though I think it's right I can certainly see how it would annoy some potential students and/or employees. Facebook is a social network meant to keep in touch with friends and all that good stuff. It's your life outside of professionalism. I don't see how this can be used to determine if you should be hired/accepted because I hardly think it will reflect your professional side.

[sweetnsimple786]

Many people use Facebook for networking. Under that umbrella I think 'snooping' is encouraged by the snoopee/'victim' of snooping. I'd assume people would be willing to create more than one account if they want a professional account and a friends one.

Facebook gives its users the ability to decide what another user or a nonuser sees, which makes me think it's okay for someone to look up a potential employee/student. Last I checked, orkut users don't have as many options or options at all to hide information they publish from the masses, although I don't use orkut, so I'm not up-to-date.

I'm a bit irked at the system as a student, being told I have the right to see information someone has written about me for an application but being expected to waive these rights or risk lowering my chances of admittance. Catch 22s like that, in addition to people being at various stages of "okay" with releasing levels of personal information, leave this a grey area.

[elmar]

I do believe 'snooping' is overall a negative term to associate with what the colleges are doing, but I do agree with their purpose. College is a business transaction, and if a college admissions committee is able to already question how you're going to reflect the school and if you are capable of funding your education (i.e. spending it on all drugs/alcohol) just by looking at your online profile, then you most likely should not go to the school.

People post images of themselves drinking and smoking, and to be quite honest, I wouldn't want to be in the same class as those people.

[sarahlouise]

I really don't see a problem with it.

If your profile is public, you have no reason to complain if universities or potential employers look at your profile.

[ZiggyM]

I've sometimes been close to renaming Facebook as 'Stalk'book, because honestly, that's what half of us do there anyway!

I'm a bit divided on this topic, I can see the arguments from both sides and I'm not completely sure where I stand. I'm a person who doesn't drink, doesn't do any questionable things (not because of IB don't worry!) but sometimes I still have that little voice inside my head saying 'once on the internet, always on the internet' even if it's something like liking a certain group or putting up pictures from the beach! I suppose it's more of an ingrained what do you want everyone to think of you type of feeling. I now have my mum as a friend on my facebook (currently deactivated =/ ) and the random things she comments on at home makes you realise who could be looking at your profile! It's the whole safety thing again.

I think that in someways, if a person's profile is completely open to everyone, then they can't complain about people looking at their profile - otherwise they would have made it private! I also agree with what someone above has said, that I don't particularly want a class full of irresponsible class mates who will drag down my study experience.

I suppose my view after all that is that if someone's profile is public, it's public to everyone and you should know the risks that that entails, and conversely if it's completley private, then you are making a better little world for yourself online to interact with the people that you do actually know and interact with in person

[TurtleR]

I voted "depends" because it really does depend.

I mean, part of me wants to say that if you didn't bother to make your profile private and set your privacy settings, then they have every right to snoop, just as any other person would have.

However, I can understand why it would be annoying, because you cant judge a person from solely their facebook profile. For example. I have pictures tagged of me from 4 years ago. Although I haven't done anything wrong, people who posted pictures of themselves doing stuff they no longer do might get judged because of it. Furthermore, employers and universities may judge us based on stuff that a lot of people do, such as "swearing". If a person swears on their facebook profile, it doesn't imply that they carry those habits everywhere. It simply means that they choose to speak differently on something thats supposed to be private.

[caveat emptor]

the university people are doing just the same what everyone does! stalk and check if the person is alright before u accept the friend request, wheareas the friend request here is the application! but the university never gets exclusive rights to check more than what others do, they can only see what the user has allowed others to see. thats it!

am doing my extended esay on facebooks privacy policies! pls check it! thanks