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posted by LaminatorX on Tuesday March 10 2015, @09:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the why-we-can't-have-nice-things dept.

Jonathon Mahler writes in the NYT that in much the same way that Facebook swept through the dorm rooms of America’s college students a decade ago, the social app Yik Yak, which shows anonymous messages from users within a 1.5-mile radius is now taking college campuses by storm. "Think of it as a virtual community bulletin board — or maybe a virtual bathroom wall at the student union," writes Mahler. "It has become the go-to social feed for college students across the country to commiserate about finals, to find a party or to crack a joke about a rival school." And while much of the chatter is harmless, some of it is not. “Yik Yak is the Wild West of anonymous social apps,” says Danielle Keats Citron. “It is being increasingly used by young people in a really intimidating and destructive way.” Since the app’s introduction a little more than a year ago, Yik Yak has been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen college campuses, including the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University and Penn State. Racist, homophobic and misogynist “yaks” have generated controversy at many more, among them Clemson, Emory, Colgate and the University of Texas. At Kenyon College, a “yakker” proposed a gang rape at the school’s women’s center.

Colleges are largely powerless to deal with the havoc Yik Yak is wreaking. The app’s privacy policy prevents schools from identifying users without a subpoena, court order or search warrant, or an emergency request from a law-enforcement official with a compelling claim of imminent harm. Esha Bhandari, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, argues that "banning Yik Yak on campuses might be unconstitutional," especially at public universities or private colleges in California where the so-called Leonard Law protects free speech. She said it would be like banning all bulletin boards in a school just because someone posted a racist comment on one of the boards. In one sense, the problem with Yik Yak is a familiar one. Anyone who has browsed the comments of an Internet post is familiar with the sorts of intolerant, impulsive rhetoric that the cover of anonymity tends to invite. But Yik Yak’s particular design can produce especially harmful consequences, its critics say. “It’s a problem with the Internet culture in general, but when you add this hyper-local dimension to it, it takes on a more disturbing dimension,” says Elias Aboujaoude.” “You don’t know where the aggression is coming from, but you know it’s very close to you.”

 
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  • (Score: 1, Troll) by jmorris on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:27PM

    by jmorris (4844) on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:27PM (#155752)

    This is news how? We turned colleges into "The Camps" with political correctness running amok, everyone if terrified to open their mouths, trying to get a date is an open invitation to a felony record, etc. Then an app shows up that allows the illusion of being able to blow off steam and remain anonymous and anyone is surprised it caught on? Really?

    Of course it is only an illusion as will soon become apparent. Maybe, and only maybe, if you post to it from an offshore VPN but I wouldn't trust that either since without a crapton of traffic to hide in they will start tracking you via traffic analysis. Maintaining the fear of accidental CrimeThink is the primary purpose of Higher Education these days, they will invest whatever it takes to keep the chains on.

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  • (Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:38PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @10:38PM (#155764)

    Who is this "we" that you speak of? College wasn't always like it is today, and it was some very specific groups of people who have caused it to become what it is today. The ones responsible for this are leftist Baby Boomers and their spawn (today's Social Justice Warriors). Pretty much everyone else disagrees with the current state of affairs.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by jmorris on Wednesday March 11 2015, @03:15AM

      by jmorris (4844) on Wednesday March 11 2015, @03:15AM (#155902)

      Pretty much everyone else disagrees with the current state of affairs.

      Maybe, but if they do, they do their disagreeing very quietly. Evil flourishes when Good is cowed into submission.

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:30AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @09:30AM (#155968)

      Pretty much everyone else disagrees with the current state of affairs.

      Except the baby boomers and their SJW spawn, which is about 90% of the population so I understand why you feel so paranoid, lonely, and desperate. You are not one of the "we". But hey, I just heard of this great social networking app, where you can say rude things to a lot of people in your immediate vicinity without them knowing it was you! Would that make you happier?

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @11:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2015, @11:08PM (#155790)

    How the heck is Mr. Morris' comment "Redundant"? Whoever modded it that should never mod again.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @05:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 11 2015, @05:45PM (#156174)

    ...trying to get a date is an open invitation to a felony record....

    If your attempts at getting dates lead to felony convictions then you are probably doing it all wrong. Just sayin'.