Anonymous Online Platforms Can Help College Students Fight Harassment, EFF Says
The Education Department should continue to protect college students' online anonymity in any future guidance, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Wednesday in a letter to Arne Duncan, who stepped down as secretary at year end, and Assistant Secretary Catherine Lhamon.…
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EFF's letter came after a coalition of 72 women's and civil rights groups sent a letter to the department in October seeking new federal guidance telling universities and colleges of their legal obligations "to protect students from harassment and threats based on sex, race, color, or national origin carried out via Yik Yak and other anonymous social media applications." The coalition said academic institutions "currently have no explicit guidance" on how to respond to such harassment through social media platforms. It said the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) should remind universities and colleges that taking action to eliminate such harassment won't infringe on protected speech. EFF said it agrees with the coalition's assessment that harassment on online platforms is a "serious problem" and also agrees with many of its recommendations to fight harassment. But EFF disagreed with the coalition's request that OCR require academic institutions to remove online speech platforms. EFF Legal Director Corynne McSherry said in a news release that "blanket bans" on such platforms is a "counterproductive strategy. Online anonymity is crucial for students who fear retaliation for their political and social commentary. It helps many people avoid being targets of harassment in the first place.” EFF also said even if an academic institution blocks access to such platforms on campus, it won't stop students from going off campus or joining another network to comment anonymously.