Colombo University moves to check students taking any grievances to social media raises fears

The University of Colombo has introduced a set of social media guidelines that students now say are stifling and infringing on their freedom of expression. A spokesman for the students said they would take up the issue with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka shortly.

University officials were not immediately available for comment.

The guidelines issued on 28 March 2021 states that students must not openly criticise issues that arise due to the “services, rules/regulations of the university, or staff members”, on social media.

“As a registered student of the University of Colombo, you are kindly requested to protect and safeguard the reputation of our University. If you are not satisfied with some services, rules/regulations of the university, or staff members, you should not criticise openly in social media. You can communicate your concerns to your counsellors, academic coordinators/tutors, or other officials of the university and seek a feasible solution. Problems cannot be solved by criticizing on social media,” the guidelines say.

The University also warns students that legal action can be taken against them if they “have participated in false propaganda intentionally or unintentionally,” and warn students to be weary in taking part in protests organized by social media because that might “bring disrespect to the reputation of your University.”

Given below are the rest of the University’s social media guidelines:

“Every citizen has freedom of speech and expression. However, it should not be used to attack organizations, groups, or individuals by posting hate speech, sharing others’ critical or sensitive messages, expressing opinions that will create suspicion or social unrest within the wider society using social media. If you have contributed to or assisted in such activities using social media, you would face disciplinary action.

*It is very important not to disturb academic activities through social media by posting answers for questions or requesting unauthorized assistance from others when engaging in academic activities. For example, sharing answers to assignments/exam paper questions through social media is unacceptable. Disciplinary action will be taken against individuals who disturb academic activities.

* Some may assume that it is ‘safe’ to engage in wrongful activities using a bogus identity/account and this method will protect the actual person. Technology and tools are available to trace the real identity of such persons. Authorities could identify the person, the actual device, and physical location if and when necessary. Therefore, we strongly advise you not to engage in unauthorized or illegal activities using a bogus identity.

* If you publish digital contents as the University of Colombo on social media using the University name, logo, or any other university intellectual property such as scanned books, past papers, etc., prior permission from the Registrar’s office is required. If you use the University of Colombo Logo, you must follow the Logo guidelines.

* Your communications in social media must not include offensive or derogatory posts, blogs, images, videos, or comments relating to gender, ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, reassignment, sexual orientation, religious base or national security.

* You must not post someone else’s images, videos, or any other digital contents without the proper permission of the original content publisher. You should also not share any copyrighted material without proper approval from the respective publisher(s).

* It is important to recognize that online conduct is governed by the same laws, policies, and rules of conduct that apply to all day-to-day activities. The University of Colombo urges students to be aware of the potential risks when making personal information public, to think about future implications and possible consequences of all posts, and to ensure safety through responsible and conscious decisions when using social media.

* It is your responsibility, to protect your social media accounts and for being aware of third-party applications that share your personal information to the public. If you need technical advice that protects your social media accounts, the university IT experts are available to help you”