PA School Spied On Students Via School-Issued Laptop Webcams

[Suprtek]

If this is true, obviously something needs to be done. Call me paranoid, but I've had webcams for years and I never leave them hooked up or pointed at me if I'm not using them. I've used the tape trick on laptops with built in cams for a long time. Never can tell...

 

[Bill of Rights]

But, they weren't in a business, or a school.

They were in their home.

What's that quote someone uses in their sig? "At times, every good man must be tempted to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats" Something like that. Now, I won't go that far... Death is awfully permanent and doesn't allow the guilty to continue suffering, after all...

The laptops were school property, however, and as such, there may be some loophole. That said, I think several someones need one hell of a trip behind the woodshed with a whole passel of p****d-off parents. Hell, I might even be persuaded to look the other way if the kids wanted to get a few licks in, being they were the injured parties. Once that's all done, then the law can have them.


Kindly note that at no time did I advocate the use of firearms in the context of this clearly-vigilantist undertaking. It would be far more satisfying to feel the bones crunching under your fists.

 

[SavageEagle]

That's freaking creepy. I can't voice my thoughts. Just use your imagination. I would.

 

[Brown]

My Daughter came home today complaining the school is putting in cameras in the hallway. She thought THAT was invasion of privacy. wait till I show her this! I have no words for the amount of anger this brings out in me on the kids and parents behalf in PA. We call the school here the school Nazi's but this is WAY out there.

 

[mike8170]

This burns me up so badly I don't know what to say!!! If I was in the place of these parents, not one child would be in school until charges were filed and there would be a pile of busted laptops on the school lawn (at a minimum, if you catch my drift)!

I am definately going to forward this to a few people, maybe they will understand my paranoia

 

[SavageEagle]

Instead of just breaking perfectly good laptops, switch out the hard drives and send the hard drives to the school, OR, get them all gathered up and one by one stick an industrial strength magnet up to each and every one before smashing them on the parking lot.

Just can't stand to see good computers go to waste.

You could even just take out the webcams...

 

[mrjarrell]

This school was seriously out of line and people need to be jailed for their actions on this one, but webcams are useful. I used one a few hours ago with Skype and talked to my wife who is half way across the globe. Free. I'll keep my webcam.

 

[darinb]

That is absolutely ridiculous. It seems schools that it is their job to control students not educate them. Sad situation.

 

[techres]

Rage.

 

[Benny]

I just reread the article to make sure I didn't miss anything...Yep, still outrageous.

I don't even want to think about what I'd do if I had a daughter(or son, but a girl would be worse) in that school.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

What's that quote someone uses in their sig? "At times, every good man must be tempted to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats" Something like that. Now, I won't go that far... Death is awfully permanent and doesn't allow the guilty to continue suffering, after all...

The laptops were school property, however, and as such, there may be some loophole. That said, I think several someones need one hell of a trip behind the woodshed with a whole passel of p****d-off parents. Hell, I might even be persuaded to look the other way if the kids wanted to get a few licks in, being they were the injured parties. Once that's all done, then the law can have them.


Kindly note that at no time did I advocate the use of firearms in the context of this clearly-vigilantist undertaking. It would be far more satisfying to feel the bones crunching under your fists.

H.L. Mencken, Bill.

 

[kludge]

How about "conspiracy to create child porn"?

You read my mind.

 

[kludge]

Oh, holy cow, don't even get me STARTED on that little boondoggle. I have to bring in $150 worth of supplies (pencils, kleenex, markers, etc.) and also pay $150 book rental fees. I'd be ticked if the school started handing out lappies.

And you know what they do with all those supplies, right?

They go into a big box (remember, don't put your child's name on anything) in the teachers closet and get redistrubuted.

Yes, they are teaching them to live in a communist society.

Then at the end of the year, the teacher sells the leftovers. Seriously. My wife actually heard my daughter's kindergarten teacher say she sold the stuff at a yard sale to pay for decorations and other stuff.

 

[Scutter01]

Here's a link to the court filing. It's all civil, which pisses me off. I want criminal charges filed.

http://craphound.com/robbins17.pdf

 

[Benny]

Here's a link to the court filing. It's all civil, which pisses me off. I want criminal charges filed.

http://craphound.com/robbins17.pdf

Wow, that really pisses me off too...How in the hell were there no criminal charges filed?

 

[IBTL]

This is one of the most disgusting, horrifying, invasive thing I have heard, since when the President said cellphone calls don't need a warrant.

Obama: warrantless cell phone tracking is OK -> TamsPalm

It's just our Big Brother lookin' out for us gang. Nothing to worry 'bout!
Wake up people!!! You are letting this happen to our government!!!

 

[38special]

How about "conspiracy to create child porn"?

Here's the full list of claims they're making:
Electronic Communications Privacy Act - interception of communications
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act - exceeding authorized access
Stored Communication Act - more unauthorized access
Civil Rights Act - Invasion of Privacy
4th Amendment - Invasion of Privacy
Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act - wiretapping
Pennsylvania common law (1) - Invasion of Privacy
(1) footnote reads: "Should discovery disclose that the Defendants are in possession of images constituting child pornography [...] Plaintiffs will amend this Complaint to assert a cause of action thereunder."

This is the first thing I thought. This is jaw-droppingly ridiculous.

Criminal charges should be mandatory here.

 

[mettle]

Okay now this is just scary.

Edit: On a few minuts reflection, I don't want a class action suit over this. I want criminal charges.

It needs to reach the Appellates at least; and, it NEEDS to be class action so the Supreme makes a solid RULING on the matter and ends it dead.
Criminal charges will only affect the PA school in question.

On another note: I agree with Joe Williams, 'unruly' is not the correct term for my behavior if I'd learn of some pathetic school principle watching the inner workings of my home...

 

[eldirector]

Criminal charges would send a pretty clear message as well. Not too many school boards will risk their own skin for this. Someone else's skin, sure (they do it all the time), but jail time and a felony record would end their career.

Surely someone in that district has talked with the DA? What is their opinion?

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

BBC News - US school accused of web spying

Lower Merion School District says it has now deactivated a tracking device installed on the laptops. It says the security feature was only used to track lost, stolen and missing laptops.
But it was deactivated on Thursday and would not be re-instated without informing students and families, the district said.

In it, the Schools Superintendent Christopher McGinley gives details of the security feature, which he said was activated only if a laptop was reported lost, stolen or missing. "The security feature's capabilities were limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator's screen," he wrote.
"This feature was only used for the narrow purpose of locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District never activated the security feature for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever."
However, the district had carried out a preliminary review of security procedures and had disabled the security-tracking program, he added.

Hmm, so I wonder how they took a photo of the "wrong doing" in the student's home if the program was only activated if a computer was listed as lost or stolen?