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PA School Spied On Students Via School-Issued Laptop Webcams
jargon82 writes "A Pennsylvania high school is using laptops they issued to students to spy on them in homes and outside of school. According to a class action filling the webcams and microphones in these laptops could be remotely activated by school officials, and have been used in this role. One student was accused of 'improper behavior in his home' and the school provided a photo taken via his laptop as proof."
The submission system is broken. If you submit something with a crappy summary and it gets rejected, it will block submissions with that article link, so someone with a good summary must find another source.
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."
Bonus: Not only does the class action include the 1,800 students, but all their family members.
That school district is fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
School officials might avoid child porn charges if they prove they didn't see any lewd images, but I definitely see a lot of people getting fired.
The AP is reporting that they allegedly did see lewd images.
The lawsuit alleges the cameras captured images of Harriton High School students and their families as they undressed and in other compromising situations.
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -- Albert Einstein
...it's actually quite interesting. I have a feeling that the folks who are looking to see child porn charges pressed might actually get their way. According to the filing, "...it is believed and therefore averred that many of the images captured and intercepted may consist of images of minors and their parents or friends in compromising or embarrassing positions, including, but not limited to, in various stages of dress or undress."
Seriously, what could have made the school district think that this was, in any way, a good idea? The district itself, the school board, and the superintendent are all listed as defendants. This could be really, really interesting...
If you didn't visit, then why are you guessing at the contents of the link and criticising them for your imagined contents? You seem to have an axe to grind.
The BoingBoing article has commentary beyond simple reporting of the facts, which you may or may not appreciate, but it isn't simply parroting the AP. More importantly, it has a link to the class action complaint itself, which the AP article and the "highly respected news sites" do not.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
There is no consent in child pornography. If the students are under 18, they cannot consent, and if they are 18+, it's not child pornography. But it will definitely be a violation of various other things.
PBS's Frontline had an interesting episode earlier this month - "Digital Nation" there's a section where a school official is remotely watching what kids are doing from a laptop, and showing a reporter how he does it... it's all inside the confines of the school, but it still scared me.
At the core of the problem here is that we have an education system that is still stuck in the 19th century.
Well the class action complaint (yes, I did Read The Filed Material linked to by the boingboing page) explicitely talks about remotely activating cameras, so the hypothesis that it would only be the kid taking pics and then leaving them on the laptop clearly doesn't match the available facts at this time.
It isn't the first time a school has punished a kid for something that happens outside of school grounds and hours.
For instance, if you get busted for pot by the cops at a party, I've seen schools suspend kids, kick them out of extra-curricular activites, etc.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Even simpler, onboard mics turn off if an external mic is connected. Just take an old pair of headphones, cut the 1/8 plug off of them and stick it into the mic jack. Easily removable too.
Say bad words about my book, in cold oatmeal, or I shall sue!
The class action suit describes the agreement under which the laptops were provided; no mention is made of remote monitoring. I suggest you read the original filing.
The taxpayers are exactly who should be punished. They elected a set of officials who apparently believe it's okay to spy on families in their own homes.
taxpayer != voter
Do you realize that I am a taxpayer and have absolutely no right to vote ? There are quite a few people in this situation. At the same time a lot of US citizens have the right to vote but do not pay taxes.
Why should I be punished for something I had absolutely no control over while the ones who voted these criminals into office are not ?
The US has taxation without representation and representation without taxation, so stop blaming me for paying my fair share of taxes.
Should discovery disclose that Defendants are in possession of images constituting child pornography within the meaning of 18 Pa. C.S.A. 6312, et. seq., Plaintiffs will amend this Complaint to assert a cause of action thereunder.
For conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it
According to them, the system only took 1 single picture to recover a stolen laptop. Now, the thief's parents are suing the school.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...