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Orange County Public Schools To Monitor Students On Social Media

Posted by timothy on from the well-that's-air-tight dept.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Orange County, Florida, is undertaking a sweeping effort to snoop on the social media communications of the county's public school students and staff, for the nebulous task of "[ensuring] safe school operations," and say they will use the software (at a license cost of about $13,000 per year) "to conduct routine monitoring for purposes of prevention or early intervention of potential issues where students or staff could be at risk to themselves or to others." The software they're using is from Snaptrends, which offers "location-based social media discovery." According to one of the comments attached to the linked story, there are monthly fees, in addition to the annual licensing cost.

12 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Private Profiles by D.McG. · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Anyone with a clue makes their profile private such that only friends may see their posts. Most children are told explicitly to do this by parents because of creepy stalkers. These clowns are actually receiving/spending tax payer's money to stalk. Illegal on so many levels.

    1. Re: Private Profiles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      People like you are the problem. FB profiles are hardly appropriate for professionals. Email and a proper website shows that you care about running a business. Plus I see a ton of companies using fb to encourage people to spam friends for rewards.

      This isn't living under a rock, it's realizing that living in a glass house has no advantages for us.

    2. Re:Private Profiles by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Funny

      Bah! It's not serious until you can stash a whole bag of Cheetos in it... and if you can do it without taking them out of the bag you are an honorary member of ZZ Top!

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    3. Re:Private Profiles by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Absolutely. Still, this will teach students a valuable life lesson. Prospective employers are probably going to pull the same sort of nonsense, so they had better start learning to watch what they say in public right now.

      Also... I'm obviously building the wrong type of software. I'd love to be able to charge $13K plus monthly usage fees for scanning targeted people on Facebook, Twitter, and a few other services for scary keywords and phrases.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  2. if you dont want people by ganjadude · · Score: 5, Insightful

    if you dont want people to know what you are doing.... dont post it online for the world to see! is it really that hard???

    My question is where is the money coming from to pay for this? i want my teachers teaching, not spying

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    1. Re:if you dont want people by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, you (presumably) want the teachers to be teaching. Not being their parents.

      That ship sailed long ago. That said, GODDAMMIT; '1984' WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A WARNING. NOT AN OPERATIONS MANUAL.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:if you dont want people by KGIII · · Score: 3, Funny

      My favorite bumper sticker:

      It will be great when schools have all the funds they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy another bomber.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  3. Finally by houghi · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am so glad they finally are doing what everybody is asking for. We hear a lot of complaining that all schools do is learn people to take tests. And now finally we prepare students for the real world.
    . . . . . . . . .

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  4. Orange County parent groups to ... by tlambert · · Score: 3, Funny

    Orange County parent groups to monitor Orange County Public Schools Monitoring Students On Social Media.

    Do As I Say, Not, As I Do....

    Anonymous is watching...

  5. The key assumption are by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. They can accurately identify students and staff. Since no one has ever created a fake social media account that shouldn't be hard. Just require everyone to provide a list of all their accounts. No one would object to that, correct?

    2. Software can accurately parse potential threat from random uses of keywords and not require excessive reviews of material that is innocuous.

    3. No one would create fake accounts to cause #2 to occur.

    4. No one will object nor have the cash to hire a lawyer if the school demands account information under threat of punishment.

    --
    I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  6. Re:Sounds cheap if it works by penix1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Of course, this WILL rapidly degenerate into "Deidre got detention because she posted a selfie on Instagram with a really revealing outfit."

    FTFY....

    So the school officials need to have plenty of common sense.

    No... The schools need to be treated like the government entities they are and get the shit sued out of them for violating the Constitution's 4th and 5th Amendment rights. Think of the children only goes so far. But given the shithead fossils we got for a Supreme Court, it wouldn't surprise me if they uphold this shit.

    --
    This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
  7. Good by jbmartin6 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The school is doing its job. Is there a better way to educate students about the value and practice of privacy?

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