The Confessionals is a group of anonymous forums maintained by Oberlin

Oberlin

Oberlin may refer to:Places in the United States* Oberlin, Kansas* Oberlin, Louisiana* Oberlin, Ohio** Oberlin College** Oberlin ConservatoryPeople*Oberlin...

 graduate Shibo Xu and developed by Akshat Singhal. They provide a space for college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 and university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 students to speak openly and candidly, often on taboo

Taboo

A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...

 subjects. They've become a source for advice, but have also generated controversy over the prevalence of anonymous personal attacks.

History

The first confessional created was Oberlin Confessional, created by Harris Lapiroff based on an idea he'd gotten from a similar Livejournal

LiveJournal

LiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....

community. This original confessional gained in popularity until its original creator left, after which Shibo assumed control of the site.

Controversy

When introduced to a college, the confessional often generates a lot of controversy, particularly if it has become a source for anonymous personal attacks. Using the names of others is strictly prohibited under the terms and conditions of the Confessional, but names often appear in violation of these rules. Although these confessions are usually removed from the site, they have the ability to do considerable damage while they remain visible. As such, the administrations of many colleges have spoken out forcefully against these forums, but are usually unable to do more without being accused of censorship

Some critics seriously question whether anonymous attacks against individuals qualifies as protected "free speech". Some critics, including prominent legislators, are taking a close look at the degree to which an institution such as a college, Connecticut College for example, may be liable for continued inaction in regard to confessional sites linked to their institutions. Legal action is currently pending in some cases.

Confessionals

There are currently confessionals for twelve different colleges and universities:

Middlebury Confessional

Sacred Heart Confessional

Cooper Confessional

Williams Confessional

FIT Confessional

Bates Confessional

Oberlin Confessional

Amherst Confessional

Mount Holyoke Confessional

Connecticut College Confessional

Kalamazoo Confessional

Smith Confessional



In addition to the confessionals above, Shibo has created a joint confessional, open to the public, for the summer of 2008. The summer confessional was bought back again for the summer of 2011:

Summer Confessional