According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools' administrators, who have used this facility to spy on students and even their families. The issue came to light when the Robbins's child was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" and the Vice Principal used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence. The suit is a class action, brought on behalf of all students issued with these machines.
If true, these allegations are about as creepy as they come. I don't know about you, but I often have the laptop in the room while I'm getting dressed, having private discussions with my family, and so on. The idea that a school district would not only spy on its students' clickstreams and emails (bad enough), but also use these machines as AV bugs is purely horrifying.
Schools are in an absolute panic about kids divulging too much online, worried about pedos and marketers and embarrassing photos that will haunt you when you run for office or apply for a job in 10 years. They tell kids to treat their personal details as though they were precious.
But when schools take that personal information, indiscriminately invading privacy (and, of course, punishing students who use proxies and other privacy tools to avoid official surveillance), they send a much more powerful message: your privacy is worthless and you shouldn't try to protect it.
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It's weird to hear all these older people talk about how kids are growing up wrong because you can't spank kids anymore in school. They talk about how teachers and administrators are so afraid of lawsuits that they can't hug an emotionally upset kid or even really defend themselves if the kid gets violent...
ReplyDeleteAnd then there are all these contrasting stories of legit lawsuits like this one and absurd zero tolerance drug policies and strip searches in the bathroom over students having OTC headache medicine.
LEGGS AND YOUR PRICIPAL BEDFELLOWS??
School admins should stay off my kid's webcam, stay out of my kid's Facebook comments, and
do there jobs
I have been talking about this all day at work and we have come to the conclusion that public flogging should ensue for who ever thought this was a good idea; and thats being nice.
ReplyDeleteif true, you are so right. If found to be true, then I am speechless.
ReplyDeleteWhoa that's creepy!!
ReplyDeleteI think the school admin should also be charged as a peeping tom as well.
ReplyDeleteCommunist pilot project!
ReplyDeletePublic schools are nothing more than government sanctioned fashism.
ReplyDeleteCan you say cha-ching. Some one getting paid.
ReplyDeleteThis story is very disturbing. Someone watching high school students in thier own bedrooms without them knowing . Only one word come to mind VOYEUR !!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it would be highly unlikely that the school admins could control the webcam while the computer is in the student's home. It would be nearly impossible in fact. Now if the student used the webcam while at home and saved the pictures on the computer, the school is fully within their rights to check the computer when it is back in their school. The laptop was provided by the school to the student so they own it and have the right to check how it is being used when it is within or outside of their school.
ReplyDelete7:07 - Regarding the possibility of controlling a camera remotely, you are way off base. It is extrememly easy to do in fact. Any resident application on the machine is capable of sending data anywhere. This is actually how a worm works. The application is sending email from a person's pc without their knowledge. To get even more malicious you can think about Password stealing trojans. there are a lot of them. A few are here. http://www.viruslist.com/en/virusesdescribed?chapter=153317860
ReplyDeleteGoing away from malicious software most people are familiar with products like logmein or go to my pc. These applications function by sending a request to a central server at predefined intervals. Once the user wants to connect, a secure shell session is created between the PC and a central server farm. The user session is then passed over this. The application on the PC is "kind" enough to show a system try icon, but it is not necessary. To send a regular snapshot or audio from a PC would be no different. Speaking of covert software, how about this:
http://www.absolute.com/products/lojackforlaptops
Back on topic we can look at this software.
http://www.track4win.com/Web_Access_Control.asp
I have actually installed software packages like the onces that I have previously mentioned in quite a few locations on the eastern shore. Before you go crazy over that, just remember the acceptable use policies you blindly click ok through when you log on and the wonderful employee manual sections that blatently say your activies may be monitored or recorded.
I have been in this business for almost 15 years and can assure you that it can happen, does happen, and I have made it happen. I, and I am sure quite a few of the other readers of this blog could write the application to do it in less than a day.
Sorry to destroy your false sense of security.
Anonymous 7:30 - You just made my jaw drop .
ReplyDeleteHmm...webcam and "acting inappropriately?" Sounds like that principal might have some kiddie porn. That's really gross and creepy.
ReplyDeleteAs a school administrator here on the shore, I am alarmed to think that a fellow administrator may have actually done this. Now, our professon is just like any other - there are creeps everywhere, and Lord knows that schools have their fair share. I am also a parent of two school aged girls, and this just scares the hell out of me. I am not that teck savy, and can do about as much as the next guy on a computer. But, in reading one of the previous posts from someone who obviously knows what he is doing is terrifying to me. What is this world coming to when those who are to educate and protect our youth exploit them for ANY reason.
ReplyDeleteThat's why you unplug your webcam when you are done using it...
ReplyDelete7:59 , sorry I am a geek ;)
ReplyDelete9:48
ReplyDeleteIf you are a school administrator then I know why the government schools are failing so miserably.
You can't even spell Profession or tech.
I think creep when I think of any school administrator.
It's been a while since 1984, but it seems Big Brother has finally arrived.
ReplyDeleteI just told my daughter to put tape over the webcam on her laptop,
ReplyDeleteGod knows who's looking.
And those people are to nice up there,
Wicomico pulls that shit and it'll be me flying my plane into their building.
F...ing pisses me off;
what the hell is wrong with people?
7:07
ReplyDeleteHaven't you ever had your computer worked on remotely? Even when you are not networked? Best Buy does it all the time when you contact them with a problem that they can fix remotely. It is especially easy to access someone's computer when they are networked. You shouldn't be so naive.
I hate to say this, but 730 is absolutely correct. It is extremely easy to "use" someone's webcam nao-a-days without their approval. Heck...you can "own" someone's entire compter very easy. Typical precautions are easy to break. I see it every day.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the webcams, I am going to assume that they were video and audio. There may be a federal case in some of this. If any of the video cases goes over state lines (ie...one of the kids visits grandma for the weekend) then there are more federal crimes there. Child porn charges, etc. Wow....A whole can of whoop ass can be opened here.
But then again there can be a defense that the laptops were owned by the school and the user's privacy to any data on the machine cannot be assumed. In short, anything on the laptop is school property.
It will be an interesting story adn probably groundbreaking. For anyone out there, unplug your cameras and mics when you are done.
dogg
We all agree,it can be done.Another disturbing trend among teenagers is how they divulge too much information on pubic websites.You would be suprised at some of the outrageous things they post on Myspace and then they are shocked when people in their families bring it up,ot realizing THOUSANDS of people are trolling these sites.They are too naive to realize this could attract a predator or seriously impact their future in the job market.
ReplyDelete@11:34 unplug the webcam? did you read the story? its a laptop. The webcam is built in! You could possibly cover the webcam with a piece of tape maybe. But the microphone will still be on and recording..
ReplyDelete6:45
ReplyDeleteThanks for correcting me - simply, it was late and I did not proofread my comments. I'm sorry that you feel that way about school administrators. I was simply sharing my outrage and concern about this topic. Thanks for the additional shots and I am sure to take them to heart. Have a nice day.