Table of Contents
Sliding Down the Slippery Facebook.com Slope
This morning, I nearly choked on my coffee when I read a story in The Daily Collegian that discussed a demand from the NCAA and PSU to a student to shutdown a Facebook.com group that advocated for a prospective student athlete to attend Penn State. According to the article, the student creator of the group, John Bove, received an email from the PSU NCAA Compliance Coordinator that demanded the group be shut down immediately because it could be perceived as violating recruiting regulations.
It is beyond me how private speech by a student, who does not appear to be connected in any official way to the recruiting process, can somehow be construed to violate NCAA recruiting regulations. Effectively, this action means that universities are policing Facebook.com and other social networking sites to avoid violating athletic recruiting regulations. If universities choose to monitor social networking sites for this reason, what is to stop them from expanding the scope of this monitoring program? What is next—regulating groups which the university perceives as offensive or that hold ideas or values that run counter to university orthodoxy?
To some this may seem far-fetched, but unfortunately actions such as this are becoming more commonplace. FIRE has been forced to intervene in many cases to protect the online free speech rights of students and faculty. In one case at the University of Central Florida, a student was brought up on charges for creating a Facebook.com group which called a fellow student government candidate “a jerk and a fool.” In another incident, Johns Hopkins University severely disciplined a student who posted an offensive Halloween party invitation on a Facebook.com group.
One thing is for sure, if actions such as this continue, it will only result in more controversy. Stay tuned for further developments as FIRE looks into this apparently burgeoning trend.
Recent Articles
FIRE’s award-winning Newsdesk covers the free speech news you need to stay informed.
![John Stuart Mill's lasting impact on the Supreme Court](/sites/default/files/styles/334x250/public/media/images/podcasts/fa962f8c-ef49-45c4-97b5-0d36440427e9.jpg.webp?itok=HtFsElgP)
John Stuart Mill's lasting impact on the Supreme Court
How has 19th-century English philosopher John Stuart Mill influenced America's conception of free speech and the First Amendment? In their new book, "" co-authors Eric Kasper and Troy Kozma look at how the Supreme Court has increasingly aligned...
![Politico Logo on a mobile screen](/sites/default/files/styles/334x250/public/2024/08/Politico%20logo%20on%20a%20mobile%20screen.jpg.webp?itok=MPnJRrQC)
Trump can’t stop Politico from disclosing info allegedly stolen by hackers
Computer hacking is a crime, but publishing leaked information originally stolen by hackers is protected under the First Amendment.
![The Olympic Rings installed on the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games](/sites/default/files/styles/334x250/public/2024/08/The%20Olympic%20Rings%20installed%20on%20the%20Eiffel%20Tower%20ahead%20of%20the%20Paris%202024%20Olympic%20Games%20.jpg.webp?itok=VxRylzHv)
Olympic controversies underscore importance of free speech culture
When cultures clash, we should resist carrying the torch for censorship.
![Path through the Bates College campus lined with birch trees in Lewiston Maine](/sites/default/files/styles/334x250/public/2024/08/Path%20through%20the%20Bates%20College%20campus%20lined%20with%20birch%20trees%20in%20Lewiston%20Maine.jpg.webp?itok=bAQdnJoM)
VICTORY: Bates College rescinds DEI statement requirement on job applications
Bates College in Maine took a step in the right direction this summer by making DEI statements optional rather than required for faculty job-seekers.