school spies on kids...oops

[SteveR]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/19/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=Sbin

That's some pretty dumb stuff right there. Whoever at the school thought that was a good idea should be fired. That's going to be one hell of a lawsuit. Another thing is that if the kids being taped on the webcams are under the age of 18, and there is any content of them undressing, naked, engaged in any sex act, etc. like the article alludes to, and the school monitored or recorded it, that's now also possession of child pornography. Principal going bye-bye for long time.

[LTb1ow]

Yea I saw this in the paper... some one is in a lot of hot water...

[sweetbmxrider]

:rofl: are you serious? it probably will get settled in a way to not completely **** over the school/principal but man, that is insane. i bet the ass hole would go to jail and still get paid full salary.

[deadtrend1]

Yea, we were talking about this at work today.

That school is screwed.

[BigRocsFirebird]

wow

[Squirrel]

i hope the 'questionable behavior' talks about smuggling illegals or sex slave trade or a huge drug deal just out of spite, and theyre gonna wish it wasnt made public cuz their son will now be going to jail haha

[Frosty]

I hope the parents sue the school for every dime they have..I was going to post this up this morning but wasn't sure if the thread was going to turn ugly.

The school is wrong wrong wrong any way you look at it.

[T69SS]

D-U-N. Done. I hope the school gets absolutely destroyed in court

[SteveR]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_laptops_spying_on_students


Looks like the FBI is getting involved. I forgot that in PA, unless both parties involved consent to recording of any kind between two parties, it violates federal wiretapping laws, the same thing that film maker got arrested for last month in Philly.

[Frosty]

Not to mention minors were involved....

Could you imagine the ****storm the would happen if those webcams happened to snap still shots as one of the kids walked back into their room after taking a shower or getting dressed or something?

Just a poorly thought out plan/decision by the school.

[Bangin Bob]

This is just insane! Just another way big brother is watching all of us when we don't really know. I will assume that the lap tops were given out to kids of low income families? And after someone sues the school district you know who this costs in the end? You and me when our taxes go up to cover that mess! And like someone said the super will be fired/forced to retire with 90% pay and full bennies! I don't really know anything about onstar but I do not think I would ever want a vehicle with it. But I'm sure any new car can somehow be tracked etc without any of us ever knowing? Something to think about? I had an aquaintence friend that used to spout one world government take over crap and I used to ignore him thinking he was a nut case now I'm not so sure. Some of his rederick is awefully true somehow.

[LTb1ow]

This is just insane! Just another way big brother is watching all of us when we don't really know. I will assume that the lap tops were given out to kids of low income families? And after someone sues the school district you know who this costs in the end? You and me when our taxes go up to cover that mess! And like someone said the super will be fired/forced to retire with 90% pay and full bennies! I don't really know anything about onstar but I do not think I would ever want a vehicle with it. But I'm sure any new car can somehow be tracked etc without any of us ever knowing? Something to think about? I had an aquaintence friend that used to spout one world government take over crap and I used to ignore him thinking he was a nut case now I'm not so sure. Some of his rederick is awefully true somehow.


Pretty sure it was an affluent area, and all the students got a laptop as part of their schooling. Still pretty F-ed up, too bad some kid didn't find out and stage murders etc and see what happpens... :lol:

[BurninrubberGT]

^^that would have been awsome

[Frosty]

Lower Merion TWP isn't poor or low income by any means.

[Tru2Chevy]

For starters - I do not agree one bit with the school on how this has played out, however it sounds like the only thing the school itself is guilty of is not clearly stating their policy on the "monitoring" of the laptop's hardware. Their policy states that they have every right to "monitor the laptop's hardware" if it is reported as lost / stolen / taken off of school grounds without permission. They didn't spell out that this included periodic still images taken by the webcam, but, IMHO, recording webcam images from a laptop falls under "monitoring the hardware".

They don't come out and say that the student did actually steal the computer, or accidentally report it missing, but they also are clearly saying that the only way the security system can / should be activated is if the laptop was somehow missing - so maybe it's possible that the kid wasn't supposed to take it home and he did anyway?

- Justin

[Frosty]

IMHO, recording webcam images from a laptop falls under "monitoring the hardware".

Justin

That's the gray area, I know if I was a parent and that thing was taking pics of my kids regardless of the intent I'd be pissed.

[Tru2Chevy]

That's the gray area, I know if I was a parent and that thing was taking pics of my kids regardless of the intent I'd be pissed.

I am a parent, and I would certainly be upset too, but I likely would have questioned the exact meaning of that phrase (since I'm the geek in the family). But at the same time, I'd be kicking my kid in the rear end for illegally taking a new MacBook off of school property too.

Now, if the student in question had the laptop legitimately and the monitoring was activated "by mistake", then I agree - the techs / administrators responsible need to be punished.

- Justin

[enRo]

Could you imagine the ****storm the would happen if those webcams happened to snap still shots as one of the kids walked back into their room after taking a shower or getting dressed or something?

Yea no ****. Or even if there was underage sex captured over the webcam. Either way, that school is ****ed.

[SteveR]

That's the gray area, I know if I was a parent and that thing was taking pics of my kids regardless of the intent I'd be pissed.

Actually it's very black and white in Pennsylvania. That falls under the federal wiretapping laws, of which the school violated. Pennsylvania is one of a few states that require by federal law a written agreement between all parties involved to a clear consent to monitoring, recording, or tracking of any kind. Seeing that it was not clearly written out in the contract and that it was not clearly explained to the families, that's a felony.

[Frosty]

I know how it is in PA, I was just generally speaking about what Justin was talking about.

The school is f'ed beyond belief right now. I say good. I understand why they did what they did but the fail at execution, they obviously didn't cross their T's and dot their I's...they left themselves open big time.

[Brendan713]

"questionable behavior"
"aww hell i didnt know it was illegal to masturbate mom!"
"Its okay Honny"

lol that school is ****ing screwed i wished that happened to me so i can become filthy rich and so i can say **** *** to my school

[Knipps]

Justin, it's my understanding the students issued the laptops are supposed to take them home as the school is trying to help those without access to computers at home therefore there's no reason the laptop's monitoring system should have been activated.

[01SS]

They don't come out and say that the student did actually steal the computer, or accidentally report it missing,


They say that they were not explicit in the written agreement that the monitoring could be done. So they had this laptop with full permission. If this kid had stolen it they never would have been able to sue the school i dont think

[Tru2Chevy]

Justin, it's my understanding the students issued the laptops are supposed to take them home as the school is trying to help those without access to computers at home therefore there's no reason the laptop's monitoring system should have been activated.
Students are only allowed to take them home if the parents pay for insurance to cover them while they are off of school property (read that in one of the articles on the topic, not sure which one).


Don't get me wrong guys - I'm not trying to say that everyone is wrong and the school had the right to do what they did - just exploring the possibilities that no one else is mentioning.

- Justin

[Knipps]

Now we know what the kid was in trouble for...
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/22/laptop-surveillance.html

[Frosty]

NOW they need to REALLY hammer this school. I'd like to see those responsible for this program get ****-canned...which probably won't happen due to the oh so wonderful teacher's union..

[Featherburner]

NOW they need to REALLY hammer this school. I'd like to see those responsible for this program get ****-canned...which probably won't happen due to the oh so wonderful teacher's union..

Administrators don't belong to the teachers union.

[Frosty]

Ah crap that's right.