Harvard’s Broad “Doxing” Policy Could Threaten Student Journalists, Free Speech
Harvard University updated its “doxing” policies in September to be more broad, leading free speech advocates to believe the policy will inadvertently silence student journalists, according to a report from National Review.
The sweeping policy update states that “personal information” constitutes a person’s “personal or business address, email, cell or telephone number, class schedule, photo or video likeness or similar information.” Under Harvard’s redefinition, “doxing” now includes publishing, posting, or even reposting a picture of a peer or staff member.
Harvard is redefining private information as any identifying information, including the publishing of publicly available photos and information. As noted, Harvard community members can be punished for “doxing” for merely reposting or publicly sharing information that’s already online.
The university attempted to work around pushback of the redefinition by claiming that the doxing policies would only be used if the “intention and effect” of the doxing is “intense harassment.” However, without a more narrow definition of doxing, free speech advocates believe that these policies will be enforced unfairly against right-leaning students.
Harvard has a long record of deeming right-wing students’ speech reprehensible and left-wing speech acceptable. Harvard purports to be a reasonable actor in its policies, but it fails to exemplify it’s a reasonable actor.
The policies may appear neutral, but there’s evidence to believe these policies will not be enforced neutrally.
The policy is also of the utmost concern to student journalists, many of whom are on the frontlines of student protests. If a student engages in a newsworthy activity and a student journalist covers a peer’s actions and names or pictures the peers, it’s possible that the student journalist could be in violation of the new “doxing” protocol.
This policy poses a large threat to student journalists following the months of pro-Palestinian protests and riots that have overtaken elite college campuses across the nation.
