Social Media & Preemptive IT Security

In an episode of 2006’s the Masters of Science Fiction television series, called “Watchbird,” flying devices similar to our Predator drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs) are programmed with an algorithm that allows them to detect the intent of the an assailant. By doing so, the drones can act preemptively. As long as the Watchbirds were only being deployed away from our shores, everyone lauded their performance. When they were brought home to fight domestic crime, of course, things went awry.

Preemption is always a tricky business that harms innocents and dirties the hands of those who are placed in charge of its deployment, whether the dilemma is war or criminal justice. Now in our colleges we are somewhat unconsciously bringing the concept to education by imposing preemptive information technology security on many of our computer systems and restricting the use of those systems.

On the one hand, we have those who believe that security online must trump everything we do or attempt to do online. Regulations from federal (FERPA) and state laws are frequently interpreted in ways that seem to suggest that we need tight control of online security. On the other, we have those who like me believe that social media, open source software, email, and other Internet tools are so valuable that the occasional difficulties we suffer are simply the cost of doing business in the Information Age. Obviously, we need to comply with all laws but I remind my colleagues that these laws were not created recently and thus not with technologies in mind. Just as obviously, a system that prevents the use of social media, blocks the downloading of Internet materials, restricts the use of email to internal official business, locks out non educational web sites, allows only established database access, and allows only a small amount of designated users is extremely secure. This kind of locked-down system, however, fails us by ignoring our mission, educating our students. If we are not using all the relevant tools at our disposal to educate our students then we are failing our society and undoing hundreds of years worth of progress in education. When we know that our society demands a better educated workforce, when we know that this means educating young and old as well as extending the education of many already in the workforce, how can we in good faith think so preemptively? If we continue down this path, of course, things will go awry.