Vermont: Norwich University Blocks Campus Access to Anonymous Social Media Site
From the AP (via The Boston Globe):
The president of Norwich University has blocked access to an anonymous social media site because he says it was being used to make cyberattacks against some students at the Northfield school.
Norwich University president Richard Schneider said he realized his decision to block access to the Yik Yak application via the school’s computer system is largely symbolic because students can use it through their smartphones, but he said he had to do something.
‘‘I just know that it is hurting my students right now,’’ he said. ‘‘They are feeling awkward, they are feeling hurt, they are feeling threatened.’’
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Yik Yak describes itself as an anonymous gossip app that was launched last November.
A number of cases across the country have occurred in which people have been charged with crimes for making online threats or harassing someone via Yik Yak.
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Filed under: School Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.