Download - What does your Facebook say about you?
What does your Facebooksay about you?Issues of privacy and security for students and staff
Lyn Parker & Sheila WebberInformation Literacy Network event June 2008
6/10/2008 © The authors
Issues• Data privacy• Data protection• Intellectual property (yours & others)• Ethical use of Facebook• Academic vs. social relationships• Should Facebook be used as a teaching tool?
6/10/2008 © The authors
Organisations you care about, or which might be held responsible for your actions
Your identity
Your (future) employers
You
Rights holders –creators of music, videos, photos etc
Your friends and family
Your creations
Your actions & history
Organisations making judgements about you
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“Greater Manchester Police has become one of the first forces in the country to use Facebook to combat crime” 16 April 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7350804.stm
CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATIONAugust 6 2007A Facebook cheating ring?
What happens on Facebook seldom stays on Facebook, so the social networking site would seem like a terrible place to organize a cheating ring. But a group of students at Cardiff University in Wales may have done just that, campus officials say.
“I've been speaking with Dave Evans of the Information Commissioner's Office about the issue of how easy it is to delete your profile should you wish to leave Facebook.”Vallance (2008) http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ipm/2008/01/leaving_facebook_the_icos_conc.shtml
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Applications in/ connecting to Facebook
Linking to profile information within FacebookGiving people freedom to configure their data how they like? – or -making Friends even more vulnerable?Our data seen as a business asset
Arrington, M. (2008) “He said she said in Google v. Facebook.” Techcrunch. 15 May. http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/15/he-said-she-said-in-google-v-facebook/
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Phishing• Email that appears to come from your
bank, credit card company, or other trusted organisations.
• Counterfeit website• Both contain valid reason for logging in
with username and password
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Issues from participants’discussion at event at Sheffield University on 10 June 2008
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Changing (use of) learning & communication tools
• Speed of access as opposed to (slower) Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
• Students’ speed of response to Facebook communications• Discussion on Facebook rather than discussion groups on VLE
(move from VLE by students)• Not technically suitable to support multiple groups• Students no longer using University email account, regulations?!
(point also that is useful to have one contact point students know they have to check)
• University need a SNS within a closed environment equivalent to Facebook that can use as teaching tool
• Some staff felt strongly that Facebook should not be used for teaching (perhaps: for learning but not for teaching?)
• Generation gap – what is the next favourite tool?• Plagiarism, collusion versus sharing of ideas; private pages within
groups: not necessarily new behaviour, but becomes more visible?
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Security/ Privacy
• More guidance on privacy needed …• Security, how much information are you sharing
about yourself!!!• Beware of forcing people to do it as not closed
environment; peer pressure to have to join, miss out if don’t, socially and academically
• Since it is not a university-controlled site – no control over data, preservation of information for marking
• Legislation issues over hosting country
Issues from participants’ discussion (continued)
6/10/2008 © The authors
Academic/social use/roles
• Some student opinion: that Facebook is social only, and NOT be used for academic work
• Beware of forcing people to do it as not closed environment; though also peer pressure to have to join, miss out if don’t, socially and academically
• Should staff be friends with students? Dilemmas occur: whether / when to intervene or comment
• What is the staff’s responsibility for monitoring discussion?
• Rate my Professor (and other sites with comments on lecturers) – available previously, Facebook is not the only place
• What action to take when there are offensive comments about lecturers? Disciplinary; face to face meetings.
Issues from participants’ discussion (continued)
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Opportunities/ Positive uses…• Ability to think through ideas and research
by discussion• Communication with students – including
incoming students• Sharing experience including with
academics, blurring of boundaries
Issues from participants’ discussion (continued)
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Examples of using Facebook• Group on “Inclusive Curricula” – 100 students, 5 staff;
passionate about topic• Management – Facebook group for 3 different cohorts,
posted material but little discussion• CILASS Student Ambassador Network Facebook group,
joined but no discussion in group, rather takes place on walls: can be useful for quick decisions
• Department of Information Studies – Optional group for 1st years to interact with Canadian students
Issues from participants’ discussion (final slide)
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Advice and guidelines…
…useful but not enough…
Coming soon … student produced page with guidance about Facebook!
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Ofcom Report on Social Networking April 2008• Privacy and safety are not ‘top of mind’ for
most users• All users, even those confident with ICT,
found settings difficult to understand and manipulate
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Further discussion points• How to support understanding of issues such as
data privacy, identity, intellectual property • How to use Facebook as a tool for developing
information literacy skills e.g. sharing and using information
• Use of different levels/modes of Facebook e.g. groups without full disclosure
6/10/2008 © The authors
References
Get Safe Online Report (2007) http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1469 Accessed 30th May 2008
Hogben, G. ed. (2007) Security issues and recommendations for online social networks. ENISA Position Paper No. 1. Available from: http://www.enisa.europa.eu/doc/pdf/deliverables/enisa_pp_social_networks.pdfAccessed 30th May 2008
JISC (2007) Understanding the issues and benefits of social software. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/iowpersonalsoftwarepdf.pdf
Accessed 30th May 2008
Ofcom (2008) Social networking. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/socialnetworking/Accessed 30th May 2008
Russell, E. (2007) The Use of Facebook Functions and the Effect it Has on Other Methods of Communication. MSc dissertation. Sheffield: University of Sheffield Department of Information Studies. http://dagda.shef.ac.uk/dissertations/2006-07/External/Russell_Edward_MScIM.pdf
