Can teachers and school administration access your Facebook profile if you are on their network?

[The Source]

I go to a small private school and some people think that teachers and principals and people can access your Facebook account if you are on their network. They also say that college applicants' and job applicants' Facebooks can be checked by the colleges and the employers. Are any of these claims true, because it seems like a serious breach of privacy?

My Facebook profile is on private, and nobody can see anything unless they are my friend first.

[Rockey]

All these claims are false.
If your Facebook profile is on private then nobody can see anything unless they are on your friend first.
But be choosy in choosing Facebook Apps as Facebook Apps May Steal Personal Data ..
You can make your profile more secure follow these Privacy Settings
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/

[Cashie]

If you are browsing the internet on someone else's network, then yes, they can see what you're viewing, depending on the type of web filtering and sniffing software they are using on their servers.

Prospective employers/colleges can and will google your name and check myspace and/or facebook. If you have your profiles set to private, then they probably can not see what's on them besides your profile picture. Make sure it's a clean one if you are interviewing. It's a good idea to google your name to make sure.

[giantsgirl]

As strange as it sounds, sometimes people are able to access other's pages from clicking through other peoples profiles. Even if your is set to private. Trust me, it's happened to me. (I know every single person on my friends list personally, and I've had random people that MY friends are friends with click through and view it! I'm really private about my profile, and only want my REAL friends to see it. ) It is a VERY REAL problem, and you don't truly have "privacy" when" it comes to such media. Sorry.

It may seem really intrusive to you, but as far as privacy goes, anything online can easily be viewed by another person, whether it is a friend of your or a potential boss or University. It is very common, and not unlike a personal background or credit check. It isn't unethical or even illegal, although it really feels invasive. It's just browsing, after all, right? If you have pictures or things that would be embarrassing to you, it might be a good idea to remove them! If you look at it from the perspective that someone you don't know WILL see something you want kept private, and then tailor your page to suit that, you should be fine. I know, it sucks, but with so much of or personal info easily hacked or available these days, we kinda have to!

PS: If you are on their network, then YES, they can see much of what you are doing online!