Social Media surveillance has raised issues like feeling of oppression with use of advanced technologies like facial recognition without apt security measures. Should the discussion of safety over freedom be encouraged?

FREMONT, CA: While scrolling through a student’s social networking accounts, chats, and email, it is most likely to stir up a few ingenious posts, but it is majorly harmless. The idea of constant monitoring may sometimes ignite threats, but the information obtained is again lost into the oblivion of lost privacy.

The surveillance of social media comes under a section of hardened school security measures, which are no less than metal detectors, with in-school video surveillance making students feel coldness towards the school. It will project an un-favorable feeling towards learning rather than being warm and welcoming. There have been claims from several institutions and schools about the in-school video surveillance that has made students feel more exposed and vulnerable. Attention toward this factor is highlighted since recent years to build positive school culture.

The loss of privacy, along with identity theft with the collection of data using facial recognition technology, is highlighted as a serious threat. The vendors flaunt the ability to capture data related to students but focus less than possible on how the captured data is safe and protected, and who has access to this private information.

With announcements of student protection from shootings being the primary concern, hardened security measures have raised questions related to insipid use of facial recognition software. Events like the perpetrator being a faculty member or an apprentice scanned into the system can further trigger an attack. There are scenarios where the shooter has made concerning posts and videos before the attacks, which supports the argument that social media is a truly public platform and students should be careful while indulging in conversations through servers that are not private.
 
The protection of students comes at a cost, and a significant part of that price is the loss of privacy. The related institutions are investing the resources into a plethora of surveillance systems and administrators. Communities are encouraged to weigh in for the discussions conducted elaborating the importance of safety over the feeling of being oppressed that many students have experience.