techTALK

Matching faces to names is a Harvard pastime, thanks to the Freshman Register and the various House facebooks. Student demand for a campus-wide facebook has been high since I've been here, and current technology makes it more feasible than ever.

Costs prevented anyone from publishing a campus-wide facebook in the past. Because of the high usage of the World Wide Web on campus and the low cost of on-line publishing, a campus-wide electronic facebook seems to be an excellent solution.

So why haven't we seen one yet? We've had the technology and the savvy to do something like this for the past two and a half years. It all boils down to whether we're prepared to accept the risks and consequences of a new medium.

One of the most significant features of the Internet is the ability to easily and immediately transfer information (in this case, pictures) all over the world. The nightmare scenario for an on-line facebook is that someone might take someone else's picture, modify it, and make it available for the world to see.

Of course, this can be done with the current facebooks as well. I can easily take my Freshman Register, scan in someone else's picture, and distribute it to the rest of the world by putting it up on my web page and announcing it. It's a question of convenience, and publically available digital information makes things very convenient to do.

To properly evaluate the utility of an on-line facebook, you must compare the "can's" and the "should's". You could easily distribute someone else's picture; however, the school needs to make it clear that you should not. People need to be aware of the school's policy on the on-line facebook's appropriate use and the potential consequences of abusing that policy.

Caught up by the promises of new technology, people often forget the importance of external factors such as education and awareness. While I doubt we'll see technology capable of preventing rampant and unauthorized distribution of pictures via the Internet, we can prevent that distribution to a large extent simply by educating the Harvard community.

Making Harvard students aware of the risks is no small task. Although a substantial percentage of the student body regularly use both e-mail and the World Wide Web, many aren't fully aware of the risk of making ID photos publically available. The other fraction of the student body who don't use the Internet probably aren't even aware of the possibility of having an on-line facebook. I'm convinced if people understand the consequences of an on-line facebook, they will overwhelmingly support this Initiative, regardless of the risk. The challenge is convincing the administrators to authorize such an initiative.

I hope the student body will show their willingness to see this happen by not simply demanding the creation of an on-line facebook, but by making an effort to understand the underlying issues.