Oxford students in Facebook row
Updated on 17 July 2007
A row has broken out between students and staff at Oxford University over the social networking site Facebook.
Disciplinary action is being taken against students who have been photographed celebrating their exams by covering each other with champagne, flour, confetti and even raw meat and octopus.
It is another example of how profiles can backfire on their users. Research has already revealed one in five potential employers vet candidates on Facebook or similar sites.
Students now face fines of up to £100 after Proctors found evidence of students celebrating the end of exams by "trashing" their pals. They could even be prevented from graduating until disciplinary hearings are resolved.
Third-year mathematics and philosophy student Alex Hill said: "I have been charged by the proctors for breaching rules and being 'disorderly', on the basis of photographic evidence from Facebook.
"Somehow the proctors have accessed my photos on Facebook and cited them as evidence of my misconduct, and I am being summoned to a disciplinary hearing.
"I don't know how this happened, especially as my privacy settings were such that only my friends and students in my networks could view my photos.
"It's quite unbelievable. I just hope that no-one else gets 'caught' in this way."
The university's Student Union has told students to change their settings to "friends only" to protect their privacy.
© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
