The school district has responded to the allegations in this press release.
LMSD response to 'invasion of privacy' allegation Updated 2/18/10 5:26 PM
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
"Michigan law makes it a crime to "use[] any device to eavesdrop upon [a] conversation without the consent of all parties." Mich. Comp. Laws  750.539c. This looks like an "all party consent" law, but one Michigan Court has ruled that a participant in a private conversation may record it without violating the statute because the statutory term "eavesdrop" refers only to overhearing or recording the private conversations of others. See Sullivan v. Gray, 342 N.W. 2d 58, 60-61 (Mich. Ct. App. 1982). The Michigan Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this question, so it is not clear whether you may record a conversation or phone call if you are a party to it. But, if you plan on recording a conversation to which you are not a party, you must get the consent of all parties to that conversation. In addition, if you intend to record conversations involving people located in more than one state, you should play it safe and get the consent of all parties. "
I think alot of people are forgetting that lawyers are lawyers. They are paid to represent and fight whatever battle if someone throws enough money at them, regardless of their personal views on the case, much like mercenaries. I think Obama knows this being a Law Professor, so I'm personally not too worried about this appointment and don't see what the big deal is.
From what I understand, the equipment all runs on 4.9ghz, which has been allocated specifically for law enforcement. Even if it uses 802.11, one would still have to acquire equipment that uses that specific band.
Chrysler is planning in-car 802.11 "hotspots" on all their new vehicles, you wouldn't even need to install anything in the vehicle to find out where it's been. All it would take is setting up a network of fixed access points in monitor mode (kismet or something similar) along intersections that tracks and logs the vehicle's SSID/MAC address OUI's, and you could effectively and cheaply be able to monitor a slew of vehicle's whereabouts without the owner even knowing. I think this new in-car wifi fad will have some (un)intended consequences to privacy.
I say let him sit in prison until his wife reappears alive. Nobody abandons their kids and cuts off contact with all family like that. Getting caught with books on murder, evading police surveillance, having a front seat removed from your car, soaked in 3 inches of water? This guy is a real piece of work. Saying he's narcissistic is an understatement.
Acquit him, and he's another OJ Simpson, free of ever being charged again.
I was in third grade at the time. Parents offered me a Nintendo if I learned my multiplication tables (1-12). I still remember them to this day. Helped me enough in math that I plan on doing the same for my kid, with whatever game system is out at the time.
Why not ask Democrats the same question? Why wait to ask the republicans? Last I checked, most of the democrats claimed to be christian as well. Why not ask them if they believe the earth is 6000 years old?
Lowering the voting age would definitely be a start. One thing that pissed me off when I was a minor and had a job, I had to pay an income tax. It's flat-out taxation without representation. Either abolish taxes for minors, or let them vote.
Lipman's Nurit ATM manuals are also available to the public on their website, which also contain the default passwords accessing the operator menus. And unlike Triton, their manuals don't even warn/instruct the user to change the default passwords. Pretty sad if you ask me.
I'm surprised nobody has attempted to rip off the automatic pop-bottle deposit machines (obviously you would have to live in a state that has pop bottle desposits/refunds to understand). The machines generate a reciept with the dollar/cent amount embedded right into the barcode. It would only take getting a thermal reciept printer, and printing up some reciepts random dollar amounts, and redeeming them for instant cash.
If Sony wants to take linux seriously, they need to do two things:
1. Stop bundling hardware. Linux geeks are more than capable of providing their own hardware. This is what kept the PS2 Linux kit expensive (which came with a 30 gig drive, VGA adapter, keyboard and mouse), and yet the cost didn't depreciate over time to reflect falling hardware prices. This is probably because they did a single manufacturing run when the drives were indeed expensive, but still..
2. Support your drivers, or GPL them! I can understand Sony's reluctance to open the drivers for the PS2's hardware due to piracy concerns, but the least they could have done is provided updated compiled drivers for the PS2 to reflect new kernels. This is why we'll probably never see kernel 2.6 on the PS2 Linux kit.
So if every cop car is linked, couldn't you find a way to track the location of each car..
Yes, and I've already done it. My local county copshop uses a wireless package from Motorola called Airmobile, which was designed for deploying updates/patches/whatever remotely to the police vehicles. Access points are setup at the police departments or other areas of frequented police traffic, which allow the synchronization to take place. Regardless, whenever the vehicle's computer is on, the airmobile client is constantly probing for an access point with a unique SSID. I hacked together a small kismet client in perl, which looks for probe requests of that SSID, and with an originating mac address with an OUI of a Symbol card.
It's no different than the concept of a radar detector, except that its 99.9% foolproof (granted the police have their computers on at the time, which they do), and completely legal in the state of Michigan. It works extremely well along with a radar detector to eliminate false-positives.
As for your comment about using it to facilitate a crime, the same tired argument was argued against radar detectors and scanners.
I think they might. They did it with the Playstation 2 with the Linux kit, which flopped, due to cost, the bundling of a "sony-branded" IDE hard drive, a very ancient kernel with closed-source drivers for the sony hardware, for $200.
The PSP is without question capable of a linux kit. If they toned down the price and opened up the drivers (or at the very least, keep them closed, but provide compiled modules for newer kernels)
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The school district has responded to the allegations in this press release.
LMSD response to 'invasion of privacy' allegation
Updated 2/18/10 5:26 PM
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
I second Brother. I have a MFC-7840W and I love everything about it. multi-page scanning to FTP in a multi page PDF is a godsend.
You are at least partially correct.
"Michigan law makes it a crime to "use[] any device to eavesdrop upon [a] conversation without the consent of all parties." Mich. Comp. Laws  750.539c. This looks like an "all party consent" law, but one Michigan Court has ruled that a participant in a private conversation may record it without violating the statute because the statutory term "eavesdrop" refers only to overhearing or recording the private conversations of others. See Sullivan v. Gray, 342 N.W. 2d 58, 60-61 (Mich. Ct. App. 1982). The Michigan Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this question, so it is not clear whether you may record a conversation or phone call if you are a party to it. But, if you plan on recording a conversation to which you are not a party, you must get the consent of all parties to that conversation. In addition, if you intend to record conversations involving people located in more than one state, you should play it safe and get the consent of all parties. "
Similar studies have been done with Mourning Doves (free abstract) and they have the same effect.
I'll remember this the next time a police officer decides to call me from his cell phone with *67
I think alot of people are forgetting that lawyers are lawyers. They are paid to represent and fight whatever battle if someone throws enough money at them, regardless of their personal views on the case, much like mercenaries. I think Obama knows this being a Law Professor, so I'm personally not too worried about this appointment and don't see what the big deal is.
From what I understand, the equipment all runs on 4.9ghz, which has been allocated specifically for law enforcement. Even if it uses 802.11, one would still have to acquire equipment that uses that specific band.
Yes you can QUERY the data, but you still can't download the entire data set from their site, or just download new submissions.
Yes, and companies like Skyhook lease user-submitted data from the Wigle database.
Chrysler is planning in-car 802.11 "hotspots" on all their new vehicles, you wouldn't even need to install anything in the vehicle to find out where it's been. All it would take is setting up a network of fixed access points in monitor mode (kismet or something similar) along intersections that tracks and logs the vehicle's SSID/MAC address OUI's, and you could effectively and cheaply be able to monitor a slew of vehicle's whereabouts without the owner even knowing. I think this new in-car wifi fad will have some (un)intended consequences to privacy.
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
What does that tell you?
Forking the filesystem over a name? Sorry, I wholeheartedly disagree with you there.
I say let him sit in prison until his wife reappears alive. Nobody abandons their kids and cuts off contact with all family like that.
Getting caught with books on murder, evading police surveillance, having a front seat removed from your car, soaked in 3 inches of water?
This guy is a real piece of work. Saying he's narcissistic is an understatement.
Acquit him, and he's another OJ Simpson, free of ever being charged again.
So is this:
(989) 272-RICK
And if you're deaf,
(989) 272-7426 (TDD)
I was in third grade at the time.
Parents offered me a Nintendo if I learned my multiplication tables (1-12).
I still remember them to this day.
Helped me enough in math that I plan on doing the same for my kid, with whatever game system is out at the time.
I wonder if each state's attorney general could go after them under state statues.
At least in Michigan, it's a felony.
Why not ask Democrats the same question? Why wait to ask the republicans? Last I checked, most of the democrats claimed to be christian as well. Why not ask them if they believe the earth is 6000 years old?
Lowering the voting age would definitely be a start.
One thing that pissed me off when I was a minor and had a job, I had to pay an income tax.
It's flat-out taxation without representation. Either abolish taxes for minors, or let them vote.
...not to run Windows on those machines. They HAD to upgrade to Vista because of all the cool 'features' the pilots would like to see
It wouldn't have anything to do with the Aero interface, would it?
Lipman's Nurit ATM manuals are also available to the public on their website, which also contain the default passwords accessing the operator menus. And unlike Triton, their manuals don't even warn/instruct the user to change the default passwords. Pretty sad if you ask me.
I'm surprised nobody has attempted to rip off the automatic pop-bottle deposit machines (obviously you would have to live in a state that has pop bottle desposits/refunds to understand). The machines generate a reciept with the dollar/cent amount embedded right into the barcode. It would only take getting a thermal reciept printer, and printing up some reciepts random dollar amounts, and redeeming them for instant cash.
If Sony wants to take linux seriously, they need to do two things:
1. Stop bundling hardware. Linux geeks are more than capable of providing their own hardware. This is what kept the PS2 Linux kit expensive (which came with a 30 gig drive, VGA adapter, keyboard and mouse), and yet the cost didn't depreciate over time to reflect falling hardware prices. This is probably because they did a single manufacturing run when the drives were indeed expensive, but still..
2. Support your drivers, or GPL them! I can understand Sony's reluctance to open the drivers for the PS2's hardware due to piracy concerns, but the least they could have done is provided updated compiled drivers for the PS2 to reflect new kernels. This is why we'll probably never see kernel 2.6 on the PS2 Linux kit.
100% ditto.
So if every cop car is linked, couldn't you find a way to track the location of each car..
Yes, and I've already done it. My local county copshop uses a wireless package from Motorola called Airmobile, which was designed for deploying updates/patches/whatever remotely to the police vehicles. Access points are setup at the police departments or other areas of frequented police traffic, which allow the synchronization to take place. Regardless, whenever the vehicle's computer is on, the airmobile client is constantly probing for an access point with a unique SSID. I hacked together a small kismet client in perl, which looks for probe requests of that SSID, and with an originating mac address with an OUI of a Symbol card.
It's no different than the concept of a radar detector, except that its 99.9% foolproof (granted the police have their computers on at the time, which they do), and completely legal in the state of Michigan. It works extremely well along with a radar detector to eliminate false-positives.
As for your comment about using it to facilitate a crime, the same tired argument was argued against radar detectors and scanners.
I think they might. They did it with the Playstation 2 with the Linux kit, which flopped, due to cost, the bundling of a "sony-branded" IDE hard drive, a very ancient kernel with closed-source drivers for the sony hardware, for $200.
The PSP is without question capable of a linux kit.
If they toned down the price and opened up the drivers (or at the very least, keep them closed, but
provide compiled modules for newer kernels)