UPDATE 02/20/10:
This isn’t looking good for the school district.
District spokesman Doug Young acknowledged yesterday that officials had remotely activated computer webcams 42 times, but only in an attempt to recover missing or stolen laptops, and never to spy on students. He said families had not been notified about the possibility that the cameras on the 2,300 laptops could be activated in their homes without their permission.
So… they did it and they didn’t let families know it could be done. And the “only in an attempt to recover missing or stolen laptops, and never to spy on students” excuse stinks to high heaven since the reason this was uncovered was due to their disciplining a student for “improper behavior.”
Looks like somebody’s in big trouble.
[Previous post below]
If these charges are true, somebody better end up in jail.
(Major h/t to MJ. Thanks!)
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.
Improper behavior in his home? His home? And the Vice Principal produced evidence? Bet that evidence ends up being used against the Vice Principal.
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.
So do I, and so do my children. Again, if true, does this school district now have child pornography on their files? We already know that certain districts are okay with strip searching, so maybe this isn’t that big of leap. These allegations make my blood run cold.