Regulation of Social Networking
The proliferation of online social networking sites has raised a number of concerns. From cyberbullying and negative publicity to false profiles, there are numerous stakeholders in the debate and the responses to these issues vary from the network's self-policing to real space measures and regulations.
After recent cyberbullying discussions that stemmed from threats and harassment to a prominent blogger, some in the community have worked to develop a Blogger's Code of Conduct. The NY Times featured the story earlier this week and the Berkman Center and University of St. Gallen are addressing this issue in their research on "digital natives."
Yesterday, the University of Minnesota banned participation in certain websites. The school now requires its athletes to abstain from participating in sites such as MySpace and Friendster for fear of compromising information being made available in the public domain.
Earlier this year, MySpace took it upon themselves to correct an issue with faux profiles of political candidates, by establishing the MySpace Impact page, where visitors can view official videos, statements, and photos of candidates on profiles maintained by the campaigns themselves.
The challenges and benefits of these tools are plentiful, but through study and innovation we will continue to strive towards the development of a safe and productive environment on the web.
After recent cyberbullying discussions that stemmed from threats and harassment to a prominent blogger, some in the community have worked to develop a Blogger's Code of Conduct. The NY Times featured the story earlier this week and the Berkman Center and University of St. Gallen are addressing this issue in their research on "digital natives."
Yesterday, the University of Minnesota banned participation in certain websites. The school now requires its athletes to abstain from participating in sites such as MySpace and Friendster for fear of compromising information being made available in the public domain.
Earlier this year, MySpace took it upon themselves to correct an issue with faux profiles of political candidates, by establishing the MySpace Impact page, where visitors can view official videos, statements, and photos of candidates on profiles maintained by the campaigns themselves.
The challenges and benefits of these tools are plentiful, but through study and innovation we will continue to strive towards the development of a safe and productive environment on the web.