School used webcams to ‘spy’ on students at home

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The Lower Merion School District in suburban Philadelphia last year issued an Apple laptop to each of its 1,800 high-school students. Superintendent Christopher McGinley told parents the goal was “to provide students with 21st-century learning environments both at home and in school”.

What he did not tell them was that each laptop was equipped with security software that allowed the school district to activate the computer’s webcam and view the students at any time, opening a virtual window into their lives.

This unnerving feature was revealed last week when a student and his parents filed a class action lawsuit against the school district, alleging its actions amount to “spying” and violate federal laws and the Fourth Amendment.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Blogging & the Internet • Children • Education • Law & Legal Issues • Science & Technology

3 Comments
Posted February 20, 2010 at 11:59 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Bystander wrote:

Wow, that’s a good one.  I know students can be idiots, but what do you do when the zookeepers are nuts too?

February 20, 8:59 pm | [comment link]
2. Br. Michael wrote:

We are from the Government and we are hear to help you.

February 21, 6:42 am | [comment link]
3. Sick & Tired of Nuance wrote:

“... each laptop was equipped with security software that allowed the school district to activate the computer’s webcam and view the students at any time, opening a virtual window into their lives.”

So, each of these laptops had some sort of filter that only allowed students to be seen? 

Ok, so that’s 1,800 counts of illegally spying or attempting to spy, X2 for Federal law violations and State law violations, and conspiracy to do so…mis-appropriation of government equipment for use in illegal activities…did I miss any?  Oh, if anyone watched students dressing or undressing, that could be an added sexual crime and those that enabled it would be contributing.

I wonder how the school district is going to replace their administration and a goodly number of teachers so quickly, as all of them trudge off to jail?

February 21, 8:29 am | [comment link]
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