Policy Brief- Issue 4

Internet Privacy and Security in Our School : A Policy Brief

Overview :

The increasing use of internet technologies in the school curriculum has given rise to growing concern about the privacy and security of our students, should they continue to use the web ‘unaware and unprotected’.

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. It is sometimes related to anonymity the wish to remain unnoticed or unidentified in the public realm.

Security is the condition of being protected against danger, loss, and criminals. In the general sense, security is a concept similar to safety.

In the context of internet therefore, the terms imply protecting the identity of the user against potential dangers and threats to their safety, posed by exposure on the internet.

Main Issue :

The first line of protection is usually provided by the network security protocols installed, firewalls, and other filtering software used by the servers. Since the school is part of our secure intranet, this issue is automatically taken care of. But the mental and physical immaturity of the student community of the school, exposes them to other threats and temptations which are characteristic of this age group; and the internet is replete with such opportunities. Some of the commonly occurring incidents and scenarios are listed below.

* The social tools of the Internet that appeal most to teens (e.g., the ability to communicate to a lot of people at once, share pictures and videos easily, or pretend to be a different personality or identity) can easily be abused and used by kids to harass or humiliate others. And the potential anonymity of it all can make it difficult for parents and teens to identify and report an online bully. Also there is a danger that this internal ( to school) bullying exposes the target to external predators on the net.

* Social networking sites which are useful to teachers as tools of enhancing lessons, provide teens with their own personal online space. Just like their real rooms, these virtual spaces become a reflection of what they're all about, and they will decorate it with colors, writings, art, pictures, and videos. Kids need to learn at an early age that the Internet has become the world's electronic archive, and once photos are posted online, they can persist there forever. Your teen daughter may not care today that a friend posted a photo of her on Facebook in a provocative pose, but she will likely care later if that photo pops up in a Google search conducted by a future college recruiter or prospective employer.

The school has a moral and social responsibility to – (i) create awareness about these issues (ii) educate our students so that they are well equipped to handle the threats posed by internet use (iii) enforce preventive measures to secure our students from becoming targets or bullies.

Policy Options :

1) Get the students/parents to sign an acceptable use policy agreement which clearly lays out the do's and dont's of internet use in the school. Supplement this by an online/printed lesson and quiz on the contents of the agreement.

Pros – The supplementary lesson and quiz will ensure that students and parents really understand the terms of the agreement and its potential as a safety measure.
Cons- The entire process of obtaining the agreements could get lengthened and a bit tedious.

2) Educate the students on safety issues on the internet through workshops and seminars held on a regular basis.

Pros – This will promote the acquisition of useful life skills amongst students.
Cons – It will call for extra expenditure of time on the part of teachers and money on the part of the administration.

References : i) http://www.edutopia.org/online-school-security-privacy
ii) http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/technology/EdTech/EdTechInitiatives/In_Security.htm
iii) http://www.techcorps.org/resources/internetsafety/primer.html