Students are vulnerable to digital privacy invasion due to their young age and extensive online activity. Parental restrictions on online activity can be hindered by technology’s pervasiveness, and popular websites can compromise student privacy. Troubling trends include online predators, exchanging personal information for goods, and cyberbullying. False anonymity on the internet also compromises student privacy.
Due to their young age and the amount of time they spend online, students are particularly vulnerable to digital privacy invasion. Horror stories of online predators and cyberbullying have made student privacy online a hot topic. Some of the important student privacy issues include parental restrictions on students’ online activity and online trends that compromise student privacy.
When it comes to setting limits on their children’s time online, many parents are hindered by the fact that technology is pervasive in nearly every area of their children’s lives, including school. Parents who block access to certain sites at home may not have control over whether or not their children access these sites at school, and many of today’s popular websites could potentially compromise student privacy. For example, social networking sites such as Facebook® and MySpace® can leave a person’s private information exposed to the Internet if special privacy settings are not maintained. Additionally, parents who want their children to carry cell phones for emergencies may find it difficult to limit their potential Internet access if they have a plan with wireless capabilities.
Many of the troubling trends in student online behavior have received much media attention in recent years for their extreme threat to student privacy and safety. For example, incidents where school-age children have been friends online by child predators, giving their real name, address, or even arranging an in-person meeting. Another ominous online trend is that teenagers are exchanging photos and videos of themselves and other personal information in exchange for goods and money with people they have met online. This type of exchange leaves teens vulnerable to physical harm and blackmail from online predators.
The viral nature of the Internet can also threaten student privacy and facilitate cyberbullying. Students can harass, intimidate, and humiliate other students in many ways online, including forwarding photos or personal information, spreading rumors, and hacking classmates’ email or other online accounts. Complicating matters are the numerous ways this type of information can be disseminated, including email, text messages, instant messages, social networking sites, blogs and web message boards. A false sense of anonymity on the Internet is another problem that compromises student privacy, such as when a student incorrectly assumes that an email or other message they send is confidential or that information posted online cannot be traced back to them .
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