BYU Removes YouTube Ban

BYU announced the following this morning:

YouTube is now available on the campus of Brigham Young University. Given the educational information and materials available on the video-sharing service, the University determined to make the service available on campus. The press has been following this issue quite closely, and Carrie Jenkins has released this information to them earlier this morning.

In making this service available, the University also released a new web site called besafe.byu.edu, which is available not only to members of the campus community but the public in general. The site not only outlines the technology available today to create content and interact with others, but also provides helpful information and recommended “tools, tips and tactics.” For instance, the site discusses some of the techniques used in “spamming” and “phishing” that trick people into divulging private information. Additionally, the site provides University-recommended resources and guidelines and emphasizes that use of technology today requires personal responsibility.

This pleases me on several levels: professionally, civically, and personally.

Professionally, I need access to YouTube for training videos almost every day. Up 'til now, I have circumvented the block on occasion just to do my job. That took time, effort, and bothered my conscience. I felt like a grown-up required to attend grade school.

Civically, I am opposed to outright blocks on questionable content. Patent "bad stuff" can be blocked, but "maybe bad stuff" should be allowed with a warning of possible "bad stuff" inserted before continuing. This builds personal responsibility, which is the only real deterrent to bad behaviors in the long run.

Personally, I get emails from family and friends (and colleagues too) with YouTube links (either directly, or embedded in other sites) that are left un-responded to because I can't view them, and forget to do so at home. Now I can return to those conversations and participate like a responsible person.

Thanks for growing up a little, BYU. Now the only piece lacking is a more open, responsible dialogue with students, faculty and staff about the risks and dangers of life, on and off line. besafe.byu.edu is only a first step. Real conversations about addictions and other dangers are often silenced or ignored, whether by Big Brother BYU, or by its populous directly.