A Shandong Province college that posted pictures on its campus of students engaging in "uncivil behaviors," such as smoking or kissing, defended its actions Saturday, saying it did not affect students' privacy or "freedom of love."
According to a report from news portal thepaper.cn, the college set up a board on May 14 and put dozens of photos of students breaking rules on it.
The behaviors posted on the board are against the college's rules on campus and are usually punishable by administrative penalties such as demerits or expulsion from the student union.
The rule-breaking students had their faces blurred and the college has set up an office to protect students' rights, Shandong Foreign Languages Vocational College wrote on its website on Friday.
"There is no violation of privacy at all since all the pictures were taken in public," said the college, emphasizing that they've broken no laws or regulations by publicizing images taken by surveillance cameras in public.
"We also respect students' right to love and marry," claimed the college.
Students and netizens were quick to weigh in the issue.
"College is a place for studying. The college should implement rules to punish those without self-discipline," Xiaolin, a sophomore at the college, told thepaper.cn.
"The college has no right to interfere in students' affairs as long as they don't violate the law," a netizen named "lanshou" commented.
Despite the controversy, the college told thepaper.cn it will continue the project.
