Privacy and the Internet Age

Looking over the headlines this morning, I saw the Inside Higher Ed news bulletin on the Professor Suspended Over Facebook Venting. I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by someone assuming privacy on a social networking site, but it really brings home the fact that you must assume that everything that is recorded in some way (memos, email, posts, videos) could potentially be read/heard by someone other than the intended audience. The Internet makes it very easy to view or transfer information—not just scholarly materials and research.

This professor had less than 35 Facebook friends, but somehow her comments found their way to university officials. There were two recent posts that were construed as possibly threatening. In the first on January 21, she wrote, "Does anyone know where I can find a very discrete hitman? Yes, it's been that kind of day..." In the other comment, posted one month later, she wrote, "had a good day today, DIDN'T want to kill even one student :-). Now Friday was a different story."

Even before the most recent university shootings, these types of comments would have to be considered in poor taste. Regardless of their appropriateness, it raises awareness of a need to be cautious when writing, texting, or posting in the Internet age.