Can a school make a fake Facebook account and follow a student in their school?

[Ken S.]

My school knows everything that my friend is doing on Facebook, is it legal for a administrator or faculty member of the school to make a fake Facebook and follow her? There is nothing inappropriate on her Facebook, but if it is illegal, what should she do?

[JP]

i dont think it's illegal because what u do on the Internet is public and everyone has access on your fb so change ur setting to private so that only ur friends can see it.

[Sean M]

It's not illegal whatsoever. Facebook is public information, just like pretty much everything else on the internet (aside from private information you fill out on forms like your credit card info, social security number, etc).

Technically anyone could follow your friend if they wanted to, including your school, your parents, anyone pretty much. There is no law against it, and there is nothing wrong with it. If your friend doesn't want anyone specific to follow her, she can either not add them as a friend, or close her account on FB.

The other thing is, schools are typically using FB today as a way to monitor their students for illegal activity, etc off of campus (which is also completely legal). When you are attending ANY given school, you are a representation of such school whether you are on campus or off campus. If a school were to find out you were arrested on a Saturday 40 miles away from their campus, they could still expel/suspend you even though what you did was off campus. You are attending the school and are a representation of that school, and if your illegal actions could possibly make that school look bad in any way, they have every right to punish you via suspension, expulsion, etc.

Again, it's usually only illegal activity they are after, such as drug use, theft, and cheating (this is the big one). It's not like your school is going to say you are suspended because we don't like the store you went shopping at last Thursday.


If your friend has nothing illegal or inappropriate on FB, she has nothing to worry about!