Mormon University Lifts Three-Year YouTube Ban
Regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, it's impossible to contest that we live in the 21st Century, where we are constantly bombarded with information and multimedia. With that in mind, the conservative, morally minded Brigham Young University (BYU) Friday lifted a three-year ban on YouTube, the AP reports. The video-sharing network, according to university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins, has relevant educational applications and students are missing out.BYU, a Mormon school, requires that its students sign a moral code of conduct, pledging that they will stay committed to the ideals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It also reserves the right to eliminate anything on campus that goes against the Church's tenets, including media that may feature 'unfit' or 'pornographic' imagery.
BYU, despite its strict standards and thorough porn- and inappropriate content-blocker, is actually a rather connected school. Students and groups are active on Twitter, and, in conjunction with the lifting of the YouTube ban, the university has launched its own Web site detailing proper Internet etiquette for the modern Mormon. Though it's a long time coming, enabling access to popular sites like YouTube, along with guidelines for appropriate use, is a great way to keep ethically concerned students safe from unwanted material. [From: AP/FOX News]
Banned Facebook Groups
Facebook is a great venue for humiliating oneself with ranting and raving, but, like most things, people can take things too far. Give someone a soapbox (or in this case, a Facebook group) and there are sure to be others crazy enough to follow them. Here are some examples of Facebook groups that crossed the line and were banned from the site.
Assasinate Evo Morales
Here's a good way to get your group banned -- call for the assassination of a political leader. Titled 'Global Collection to Hire a Sharpshooter to Liquidate Evo Morales' was taken down by Facebook since it bans threatening violence. No surprises here.
Getty Images
Surrey, BC Terrorist Group
A Facebook group supporting the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned terrorist organization, was taken down by Canadian Police. Authorities were tipped off to the group because its page depicted a young person holding a prohibited gun, which was eventually traced back to 49-year old Bahadur Sandhur. Police seized it and two others when they investigated his home.
Dead Babies Group
Facebook took down a group called 'Dead Babies Make Me Laugh' after the UK Sun was flooded with outraged calls and emails. A running joke on campuses, the group included fake anecdotes about killing babies, but mothers weren't laughing even though the group was created and classified as being "just for fun."
I Need Sex Group
Laura Michaels of Bristol, England, created a Facebook group called 'I Need Sex.' According to the UK Sun, the group had more than 100 members after being up for only one hour. Michaels claims to have ended up sleeping with 50 of the group's members -- literally half of the group. Facebook opposes this type of personals-ad use, so the group was taken down.
KKK group
Facebook recently shut down a group called the 'Isle of Man KKK.' The group called for the elimination of newcomers from the UK island and featured a picture of a hooded Ku Klux Klan member. Thankfully, Facebook's terms of service prohibits content that is hateful or threatening.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
slkthom said 2:55PM on 6-29-2009
My daughter is a student at BYU. One of the reasons she chose BYU is that the atmosphere of the campus in keeping with her beliefs and standards. This may be difficult for others to understand, but for her, not being continually bombarded with offensive language, humor, or situations is freeing. It may not be for everyone, but to each their own. The students of BYU choose this university for its strict standards.
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Susan Jones said 3:00PM on 6-29-2009
Hi It is so funny that you and I got on here at the same time to write a comment. I was going to write about the same thing, except my son goes to another Bible college and they have their internet filtered so they can't watch Utube either. It is because you never know what might pop up in the video you are watching.
Susan Jones said 3:01PM on 6-29-2009
My son goes to a Bible college and they are not allowed to watch UTUBE either. They say it is no way to tell if bad content might pop up, so they just put a filter on their internet.
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romoincdan said 4:24PM on 6-29-2009
Doesn't it strike you that as a college student, not being "allowed" to view something online presents a problem. It is one thing to say that it is against your standards and you choose not to view it. But to cede that decision making to a "they" implies that "they" have some power to choose correctly on your behalf that you somehow lack. What other decisions do "they" make for him?
Skibop!! said 3:13PM on 6-29-2009
You people are overreacting. YouTube is not bad. They cannot show porn on the site, so that is one thing that you don't have to worry about. The only other thing that I can see you getting offended about is the vulgar language, but its no different than what they might hear walking down the street. I don't see why people are trying to censor their children in college when they are grown. Once they get out on the street, you they'll be faced with it anyhow.
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cathy rohrscheib said 7:36PM on 6-29-2009
no but the courts are making a fortun off the moons useing it for harrasment an noncence
jody said 4:29PM on 6-29-2009
I read this kind of posting and I really doubt the longevity of an informed democracy. The parents who are in league with this type of censoring because you don't know what is liable to "jump out of the screen" on You Tube are so far out of touch that I can't sound out their level of disconnect. Have you people EVER watched You Tube? the only thing that ever pops up are advertisements. Whenever I think about moving out of this expensive, crowded east coast city that I live in I am always frightened by the ineptitude and paranoia that somehow grips a large part of America. Wake up...decipher the truth on your own. Eventually you will not be able to understand fact from fiction if you do not open your eyes. I am really dismayed by this acceptance of dis-connect. I would never hire anyone from BYU...
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Steven said 4:03PM on 6-29-2009
Skibop!!, what you say about YouTube is right from the legal perspective. YouTube does not allow pornography as defined by law. But religious institutions have a stronger definition of pornography, and what may be acceptable to you secularists is not to someone who believes in moral values that the secular entertainment industry calls "old-fashioned" and "outdated". For decades the secularist entertainment industry has led the moral breakdown of society while religious institutions have fought it. Church-run institutions such as colleges have a right to regulate the media on their campuses and what its members can do to uphold its moral beliefs. If a Bible college were to require female students wear ankle-length dresses and male students suitcoats and ties, it has every right to do so.
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rhino45411 said 4:45PM on 6-29-2009
Of course colleges have the rights to regulate their internet... But now ask this question... Where is the logic in that? Pornography by definition is not defined by religion, but rather by what society determines is pornography... That is why porn sites have a nice little "Warning" opening page, asking people to be truthful in their age to enter the site. So why take those freedoms away? Why take the full use of the internet away from college students who should be able to use every tool possible? Not saying much education can come from porn ... The school did just that by not allowing their students to use Youtube. Youtube happens to be a very informing place that I myself have learned quite a bit from. Now of course it has stupid crap on it... But so does television, so does the radio and so does religion! So there is no reason to nitpick at certain things that small minority of people think is wrong... You have a choice to whether or not you want to use those things... And if using youtube, or watching porn is such a sin, then maybe those kids shouldn't be there... All in all... Don't take freedoms away, instead see how the kids react towards them and see who really belongs and see who really doesn't.
Believe me... As a college student, I can promise you that a lot of those kids are not at that school by choice... I would know... I went there.
jplaforce said 4:12PM on 6-29-2009
I'm hoping that my daughters will be attending BYU in the future. If they do, they must assume responsibility for their actions. BYU still adheres to the belief that students must meet a certain level of conduct. If the student can't or won't meet those standards they are free to attend some other university. When we toured the campus last year we were impressed with everyone we met there. The students were clean, polite and well-behaved. The faculty appeared to care about the students and their futures. The facilities were like-wise impressive.
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Larry said 4:16PM on 6-29-2009
What did they find out you can buy magic underware cheap on You Tube?
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Cherri said 4:26PM on 6-29-2009
BYU may find out this may be a mistake........youtube has the worst viruses I have ever seen and I dont go to any porn sites. I have seen several computers ruined due to youtube.
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Fair and Balanced said 4:33PM on 6-29-2009
Shielding young people from the normal things of everyday life stunts their growth. Rather than learning how to deal with things, these poor kids are often the ones who over-react to things and go bonkers later in life. Strict upbringing results in kids growing into perverts, pedophiles, rapists, molesters, drug-abusers, infidelity, theives, murderers, and sociopaths. One only need to look at the christian right politicians to find examples.
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Mkiddeb said 5:37PM on 6-29-2009
BYU's "ban" on YouTube wasn't really a "ban" in the sense that no one was ever allowed on the site to access the videos. It was a limitation of access, requiring an administrative password in order to get to said site. One aspect of the "ban" that people constantly overlook is that it was not just for censorship, but for network traffic regulation (can you imagine tens of thousands of students all streaming video on campus? the connection speed would stink!).
Also, BYU's policy was not "if you ever watch YouTube you're breaking the moral code of conduct!" the students just couldn't access it from the on-campus network. If a student had a private connection they could access and watch YouTube whenever they felt like it.
As a BYU student, I'm kind of sad that they lifted the restriction on campus; because that's where I'd go with my computer if I wanted less potential distractions from my studies, because there's just something about having access to entertainment sites like YouTube that just throws my attention span for a loop! Oh, well.
At the same time I'm glad that the restriction was lifted, because the professors would always have to find ways around the block if there was a relevant clip that they wanted to show to us; which there were. I have had several lectures in which the professor had clips they needed to make part of their discussions, and they would use alternate sites to watch the videos. It will just be easier to find stuff now that YouTube is available on campus.
Think what you will (it's America! we're all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, hence the first amendment to the constitution) but that's where I stand as a student at BYU.
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Lita said 5:39PM on 6-29-2009
When I saw "University Lifts the Ban On You Tube, I expected the story to be about the current goings-on in Iran or North Korea. Or maybe China. But I couldn't figure out why, at this time they would actually be lifting any ban they might have had. I was shocked that it was a university within our very shores.
I find this more than a bit horrific and certainly in conflict with the freedoms we should be affording young adults. What happened to the principles on which this company was built? (And does not God, himself, give us all free choice?) Fact is, I have used You Tube hundreds of times, literally, without ever seeking out or accidentally stumbling upon anything that would be considered pornographic or "unfit." It just shows how much (or how little) faith they have in and respect they have for their young charges; perhaps these young people should take the hint and seek the company and guidance from those who might think better of them.
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drinkhall said 8:16PM on 6-29-2009
I believe it is a mistake to lift the ban there is more bad that comes with Utube than good. There are plenty of other areas to research without getting the trash. In my opinion ,"it is a mistake to let in the trash."
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Memmottclan said 6:07PM on 6-29-2009
Some of you people are making too big a deal out of this. Just because YouTube was banned on BYU's campus doesn't mean nobody had ever seen it before. The Mormon Church has their own YouTube channel.
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memmottclan said 6:15PM on 6-29-2009
Some of you are making too much of a big deal out of this. Just because YouTube was banned on BYU's campus doesn't mean nobody had ever seen it before. The Mormon Church has it's own YouTube channel.
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Gail said 6:21PM on 6-29-2009
I have used You-Tube in the classroom. Many professors and students have posted lectures and short demonstrations. These are a great resource. Of course I check out the videos before class.
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Angie said 6:29PM on 6-29-2009
This particular university has every right to filter the internet on their campus. Granted, the students may (or may not) be like any other student at any other university. However, because of their religious beliefs, the college can block any site they believe could could hold potential non-Mormon messages. That's the right that a religious college has. If you have a problem with it, then don't attend. But don't chastize those who make the choice to hold themselves to a different set of standards.
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