Tag: social media

Can students take photos of other students in school without their knowledge?

Paper cut outs of question marks strewn around a desk next to a hand holing a pen
Legal

Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Legal Question of the Week.” Q: So, there's a new Instagram trend of photographing and posting pictures of people without their knowledge (or permission) and a number of such IG accounts have cropped up about our school. The… Continue reading Can students take photos of other students in school without their knowledge?

Can school officials search my personal social media accounts?
Legal

Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Ask SPLC.” Q: Are school officials allowed to search for and look at my personal (non-school-affiliated) social media accounts without my permission? A: Yes. Once you post something online it’s pretty much fair game for anyone (school officials, current or… Continue reading Can school officials search my personal social media accounts?

Can I be suspended for a social media post?
Legal

Q: Can the principal of my school suspend me for a social media post on my private account during non-school hours?  A: Probably not, but there is reason to be cautious about this type of behavior. There was a time when the line between on- and off-campus activities was clear. And generally so was the law.… Continue reading Can I be suspended for a social media post?

Penn State’s Collegian stands by editorial criticizing Barstool, despite backlash from fans

(Aabha Vora / Daily Collegian)
News

PENNSYLVANIA — Editors at the Daily Collegian are defending a recent editorial criticizing Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy for comments he made toward a Penn State dean. The student journalist who authored the editorial received substantial personal attacks and pushback on social media. How it started The eventual series of conflicts stem from a Sept.… Continue reading Penn State’s Collegian stands by editorial criticizing Barstool, despite backlash from fans

Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?
Legal

Q: We compiled a collage of screenshots from student’s instagram photos. The accounts are public.  Is it legal for us to publish that collage? A: Assuming the photos are individually recognizable — that is, the subjects can be seen, for example, and you’ve used enough of the original photo that people would recognize it as the individual work… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?

SPLC signs onto brief appealing discipline for “disrespectful” political speech by medical student on Facebook

SPLC News

Editor's Note: The Student Press Law Center signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief from the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida. This story was originally published by the Brechner Center. Read or download the full brief. In the latest legal skirmish over the ability of public universities to regulate what… Continue reading SPLC signs onto brief appealing discipline for “disrespectful” political speech by medical student on Facebook

Court punts Kansas social-media expulsion case, finds no consensus on college students' online rights
News

Nobody -- including University of Kansas disciplinarians -- knows where the First Amendment boundary lines are drawn in cyberspace, so the university can't be held liable even if it overreacted in expelling a student for insulting remarks about his ex-girlfriend on Twitter, a federal district court says.