Professor Geek

According to a recent survey outlined in CNET News, many, if not most, higher educational institutions are not practicing basic tenets of good security with their websites. Why is this happening? I think it is the general naivete of the academy for things technical. It has been my experience that administrators often want to jump on a technological bandwagon without doing adequate preparation, investigation, or development. They want to throw things at the wall to see what sticks. If incoming freshmen are Internet-savvy, then let’s put lots of stuff on the Internet for them, including applications, ability to purchase memorabilia, books, and pay tuition, and register for classes. In the business world, we wouldn’t last 5 minutes if we compromised our customers’ private data, and yet this is (apparently, according to the article) the norm in higher education.

The Web is a great tool, and it is certain that students are increasingly familiar, and comfortable, with it. But it’s not a toy. It is a serious tool that can have grave repurcussions if used incorrectly. It would behoove us to learn to use the tool properly before employing it.

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