Illinois University Restricts Access To Social Media, Online Political Content

onproton writes Northern Illinois University recently began restricting student access to web pages that contain "illegal or unethical" content which, according to University policy, includes resources used for "political activities...and the organization or participation in meetings, rallies and demonstrations." A student raised concerns after attempting to access the Wikipedia page for Westboro Baptist Church, and receiving a filter message informing him that his access of this page would likely violate the University's Acceptable Use Policy, along with a warning that "all violations would be reviewed." This has lead to questions about whether some policies that restrict student access to information are in the best interest of the primary goal of education.

Comments

More about Indoctrination

[jasonrice22]

Perhaps it is because the university is more about indoctrination than education.

Re:More about Indoctrination

[fightinfilipino]

Perhaps it is because some universities are more about indoctrination than education.

Fixed that for you.

only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Re:More about Indoctrination

[wisnoskij]

I never realised how ironic/hypocritical that statement was until now.

Re:could've sworn this was not the case

[Stormy Dragon]

That's the schools PR spin, but it's undermined by the fact the policy itself specifically says it applies to students:

Northern Illinois University information technology resources, including the electronic communications network (NIUnet) on the NIU campus and off-campus education and research centers, computers attached to this network, and any associated computational resource or service are for the use of persons affiliated with Northern Illinois University, including faculty, staff, emeritus personnel, and students in good standing. Information technology resources are provided by the university to further the university's mission of research, instruction, and public service. The use of these resources should be consistent with this mission, this policy, and the University’s other use, security policies, and other applicable regulations including the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (SOEEA). Pursuant to the NIU Electronic Mail policy, the email system may be utilized for personal messages subject to the limitations set forth in these and other applicable policies and to the extent that personal usage does not interfere with assigned responsibilities. By using NIU services, all individuals, including, but not limited to, employees, students, customers, volunteers, and third parties, unconditionally accept the terms of this policy.

Re:Turn it around:

[lgw]

right to free speech does not mean a university has to provide the publishing infrastructure to make that speech.

But this isn't about publishing. This is about web access. What was your point again?

Also Fred Phelps is not a defender of free speech , he's a serial pest who harrases people at family funerals

The man is a freaking icon of free speech. Only hateful, harmful, ugly, disagreeable speech needs any protection in the first place. I can't think of a living speaker who offends my more than that guy has. If you don't support his right to free speech, you're simply unclear on the concept.