School Caught Using Webcams To Spy On Students...At Home

[Dave]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/

 

[figmentPez]

This look like a job for Fillmore!

That is an awesome show.

 

[Cajungal]

But aren't you going to be a teacher? and be another cog in the machine that grinds up kids and spits out conformity.

I've not learned new anything about education since I saw "The Wall"

Maaaan, now I wanna go curl up in a ball and cry.

 

[GasBandit]

It is shit like this that truely makes me fearfull to have my children in public schools.

I've sat here for ten minutes trying to type more about this story but I'm just to bloody fucking pissed off to be coherant.

Look, I dislike government schools as much, if not moreso, than most... but really, this could have happened in any school with perverts or busybodies running it, public, private, charter, secular or religious.

 

[Soliloquy]

I know that the religious high school I went to had a habit of getting students in trouble for things they did off campus, so I have to back up Gas here.

Of course, then the school started charging way too much for tuition, and all of its students ended up being drug-addicted rich kids whose parents think large sums of money works as a substitute for proper parenting, so the school ended up with enough to worry about on-campus.

 

[PatrThom]

Been seeing this story all over the interwebs. Who, exactly, thought that this would be a good idea?
I mean, it is a good 'idea.' But it should have stayed that way due to the obvious (to me, anyway) difficulty in implementing such an idea without opening the possibility (ie, likelihood) of abuse.

--Patrick

 

[North_Ranger]

As a future teacher and a private person, I find the justification for this kind of Peeping Tommery to be of such magnitude of bullshit you would need a laxative-laced dairy farm for it.

Also, in case someone is observing me via webcam...

*stands up and CENSORED with his pajama bottoms, and CENSORED on CENSORED with a baker's dozen of CENSORED - including two muskrats*

*waits for news of global mass suicides*

 

[Iaculus]

As a future teacher and a private person, I find the justification for this kind of Peeping Tommery to be of such magnitude of bullshit you would need a laxative-laced dairy farm for it.

Also, in case someone is observing me via webcam...

*stands up and CENSORED with his pajama bottoms, and CENSORED on CENSORED with a baker's dozen of CENSORED - including two muskrats*

*waits for news of global mass suicides*

Hawt.

 

[MindDetective]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems in the United States to provide laptop computers to all high school students. This initiative has been well received and has provided educational benefits to our students.
The District is dedicated to protecting and promoting student privacy. The laptops do contain a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops. This feature has been deactivated effective today.
The following questions and answers help explain the background behind the initial decision to install the tracking-security feature, its limited use, and next steps.
• Why are webcams installed on student laptops?
The Apple computers that the District provides to students come equipped with webcams and students are free to utilize this feature for educational purposes.
• Why was the remote tracking-security feature installed?
Laptops are a frequent target for theft in schools and off school property. The security feature was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student.
• How did the security feature work?
Upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature was activated by the District's security and technology departments. The tracking-security feature was limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator's screen. This feature has only been used for the limited purpose of locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever.

• Do you anticipate reactivating the tracking-security feature?
Not without express written notification to all students and families.
We regret if this situation has caused any concern or inconvenience among our students and families. We are reviewing the matter and will provide an additional update as soon as information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

 

[Soliloquy]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems in the United States to provide laptop computers to all high school students. This initiative has been well received and has provided educational benefits to our students.
The District is dedicated to protecting and promoting student privacy. The laptops do contain a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops. This feature has been deactivated effective today.
The following questions and answers help explain the background behind the initial decision to install the tracking-security feature, its limited use, and next steps.
• Why are webcams installed on student laptops?
The Apple computers that the District provides to students come equipped with webcams and students are free to utilize this feature for educational purposes.
• Why was the remote tracking-security feature installed?
Laptops are a frequent target for theft in schools and off school property. The security feature was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student.
• How did the security feature work?
Upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature was activated by the District's security and technology departments. The tracking-security feature was limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator's screen. This feature has only been used for the limited purpose of locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever.

• Do you anticipate reactivating the tracking-security feature?
Not without express written notification to all students and families.
We regret if this situation has caused any concern or inconvenience among our students and families. We are reviewing the matter and will provide an additional update as soon as information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

You know, that claim would be slightly believable if they hadn't taken photos of kids and tried to get them in trouble for them.

 

[North_Ranger]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

You know, that claim would be slightly believable if they hadn't taken photos of kids and tried to get them in trouble for them.[/QUOTE]

Amen to that. Hence my abstract of the text.

 

[PatrThom]

I imagine the situation is similar in CA, where pretty much any hospital employee who has computer access would therefore have access to the medical records of thousands of celebrities. It would be trivially easy for that info to get out.

--Patrick

 

[General Specific]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems de blah de blah blah.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

No, that argument is invalid when you discipline a student for misbehaving at home and use a screenshot as proof. No matter what your initial intentions were, it has been misused. You, as the superintendent go into apologizing mode and punish those responsible for the egregious breach of ethics and trust.

 

[Chibibar]

Ok. Highschool student + remote webcam = BAD IDEA. No matter how you slice this, it is a bad idea. The school is skirting very very legal/illegal when activating these webcam. What if the high school student are undressing? whoever implement this system should be nailed to the wall.

 

[strawman]

It had to happen eventually. Things like this help in the long run to define future policy.

Unfortunately in this case the only policy will be requiring another clause in the contract parents sign if they want one of the school's required laptops.

But that's why you always get a webcam that has a shutter, and if not put a flap over it.

 

[PatrThom]

Right. It's something that's so easily defeated, I don't know why it isn't defeated more often.

--Patrick

 

[Math242]

wait, schools give laptops to students now?

SWEET

 

[@Li3n]

wait, schools give laptops to students now?

SWEET

And remember, as soon as you get it go to a porn site and at teh end aim for the webcam...

 

[MindDetective]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems de blah de blah blah.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

No, that argument is invalid when you discipline a student for misbehaving at home and use a screenshot as proof. No matter what your initial intentions were, it has been misused. You, as the superintendent go into apologizing mode and punish those responsible for the egregious breach of ethics and trust.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind that the reason the picture was taken may have to do with theft of the laptop.

 

[bhamv3]

wait, schools give laptops to students now?

SWEET

And remember, as soon as you get it go to a porn site and at teh end aim for the webcam...[/QUOTE]

And risk getting it onto the screen or keyboard? Psht, I'll just put duct tape on it.

The webcam, that is.

 

[sixpackshaker]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems de blah de blah blah.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

No, that argument is invalid when you discipline a student for misbehaving at home and use a screenshot as proof. No matter what your initial intentions were, it has been misused. You, as the superintendent go into apologizing mode and punish those responsible for the egregious breach of ethics and trust.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind that the reason the picture was taken may have to do with theft of the laptop.[/QUOTE]

Why not just generate a report of all the MAC addresses associated with the School's laptops. And when a computer comes up missing, start a search for it on the net. Then you will have the actual physical address of the machine.

You turn on the webcam and you see a poster for a Harry Potter movie(hopefully), what exactly in hell did it tell you? Or do you keep snapping pic's until you catch a kid changing clothes or smoking pot?

 

[MindDetective]

Looks like the cameras were intended for use as security tracking devices in the case of lost or stolen laptops. http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?&id=1137

Dear LMSD Community, Last year, our district became one of the first school systems de blah de blah blah.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher McGinley
Superintendent

No, that argument is invalid when you discipline a student for misbehaving at home and use a screenshot as proof. No matter what your initial intentions were, it has been misused. You, as the superintendent go into apologizing mode and punish those responsible for the egregious breach of ethics and trust.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind that the reason the picture was taken may have to do with theft of the laptop.[/QUOTE]

Why not just generate a report of all the MAC addresses associated with the School's laptops. And when a computer comes up missing, start a search for it on the net. Then you will have the actual physical address of the machine.

You turn on the webcam and you see a poster for a Harry Potter movie(hopefully), what exactly in hell did it tell you? Or do you keep snapping pic's until you catch a kid changing clothes or smoking pot?[/QUOTE]

If I had to guess, it was meant to take a picture when the user did something, allowing you to capture their face. That's not to say that this was still an appropriate measure to take but it may not be about explicitly trying to monitor kids at home or pedophilia at all. It may simply be mismanaged security protection for the computers. Not as terrifying as Cory Doctorow leads us to believe...but still not cool.

 

[figmentPez]

Gizmodo talked to some of the students

Talking to Gizmodo, one of the students at the district says that they suspected this but the school tech support gave excuses. His Early 2008 MacBook's camera light would turn on at random:

\"Frequently, the green lights next to our iSight webcams will turn on. The school district claims that this is just a glitch. We are all doubting this now.\"

He can't access the Activity Monitor because he doesn't have enough privileges, but he says the school uses Apple Remote Desktop.

Another student has confirmed this:

\" I questioned the IT guy about why it was happening he said that it was because people logged out when an application using the camera was on, he also stated that they could in fact go and look through your webcam it would just violate the fifth ammendment and that's why they didn't.\"

Today, their principal went on loudspeaker and said that all this was \"not true.\"

 

[Necronic]

I am generally someone who will come to the defence of things like the FBI/NSA tracking peoples URL history, but this is a COMPLETELY different matter. I mean, WTF were they thinking? The people responsible for making this decision should be fired immediately and arguably they should be criminally prosecuted.

 

[Dave]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/20/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=T2

Enter the F.B.I.

 

[Hailey Knight]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/20/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=T2

Enter the F.B.I.

\"At no time did any high school administrator have the ability or actually access the security-tracking software,\" he said. \"We believe that the administrator at Harriton has been unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked in connection with her attempts to be supportive of a student and his family. The district never did and never would use such tactics as a basis for disciplinary action.\"

Then how did they know he did anything at home? Why was it in the administrator's authority to discipline him for something at home anyway?

Bunch of shmucks...

 

[Chibibar]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/20/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=T2

Enter the F.B.I.

\\"At no time did any high school administrator have the ability or actually access the security-tracking software,\\" he said. \\"We believe that the administrator at Harriton has been unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked in connection with her attempts to be supportive of a student and his family. The district never did and never would use such tactics as a basis for disciplinary action.\\"

Then how did they know he did anything at home? Why was it in the administrator's authority to discipline him for something at home anyway?

Bunch of shmucks...[/QUOTE]

That is the part that baffles me. I mean the son was discipline from the WEBCAM photos in HIS room. So.... someone at the school did it.

 

[PatrThom]

Some misguided individual obviously thought (s)he was doing 'a good thing' by doing a little extra enforcement 'for the child(ren)'s own good.' In doing so, that individual crossed The Line. The big question is...what the Hell were we doing so close to that Line in the first place?

--Patrick

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

Enter the F.B.I.

I read this at the exact moment the F.B.I. arrives on scene in Die Hard.

 

[Calleja]

Some misguided individual obviously thought (s)he was doing 'a good thing' by doing a little extra enforcement 'for the child(ren)'s own good.' In doing so, that individual crossed The Line. The big question is...what the Hell were we doing so close to that Line in the first place?

--Patrick

Crossed the line? They are so far past the line they can't even see it! The line is a dot to them!

 

[SeraRelm]

Enter the F.B.I.

I read this at the exact moment the F.B.I. arrives on scene in Die Hard.[/QUOTE]
"You ask for a miracle, I give you the C.. I.. A."

 

[North_Ranger]

The school webmaster has come forth...

 

[Soliloquy]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/20/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=T2

Enter the F.B.I.

\\\"At no time did any high school administrator have the ability or actually access the security-tracking software,\\\" he said. \\\"We believe that the administrator at Harriton has been unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked in connection with her attempts to be supportive of a student and his family. The district never did and never would use such tactics as a basis for disciplinary action.\\\"

Then how did they know he did anything at home? Why was it in the administrator's authority to discipline him for something at home anyway?

Bunch of shmucks...[/QUOTE]

That is the part that baffles me. I mean the son was discipline from the WEBCAM photos in HIS room. So.... someone at the school did it.[/QUOTE]

Okay, so we also got out of this that the FBI can't do their jobs for sh*t.

Is there any other organization that wants to make idiots out of themselves through this fiasco?

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

It wasn't the FBI saying that; it was a school superintendent.

 

[DarkAudit]

The kid was disciplined for.. eating candy at home.