The issue over Internet privacy and surveillance is large and ever-increasing as our lives become more and more linked with the digital world. In Michael Morris’ essay Mining Students’ Data Could Save Lives, Morris argues that schools and universities should employ data mining technology on their networks to try and prevent potentially harmful acts against the staff and student body.
Morris’ stance on this topic is obviously an extremely controversial one. When presented with the notion that schools can track their data, most students would most likely be upset with the idea, saying it’s a violation of their privacy. However, the article brings up an interesting and valid point that we already give up much of our personal information to online websites, most notably for targeted advertising. Yet, most people do not seem bothered by this idea, and continue to use these online services.
The reason why most people wouldn’t agree with schools tracking students’ online activity, despite consenting to online surveillance on the daily, is the concept of personal disconnect. A student is at school for 9 months a year. They have had direct contact with their administration as well. As a result, it feels much more personal to be watched by a university versus a large corporation like Google which has billions of users. In addition, students would most likely feel suspicious with the school, thinking that administration would be watching their every move online with a magnifying glass. I think that university surveillance of students’ activity on their networks could be an effective way of keeping schools safe. With gun violence being such a hot issue in America, it’s reasonable for schools to be allowed to look at potentially suspicious activity. If you’re not doing anything wrong, there should be no reason for you to worry.
