Posted by Kromey at 11:05pm Feb 19 '10Check the link for the story. Apparently a PA high school added monitoring software to the school-issued laptops so they could be tracked down if lost or stolen. Sounds benign, right?
Except this software includes the ability to remotely activate the computer's webcam to take pictures of the computer's surroundings. That's getting a little bit on the Big Brother side now...
But the lawsuit alleges that school IT officials were using this software to spy on students. In at least one instance, a student was confronted with a photo taken by this software as proof of "inappropriate activities" in his home. Read that last part again - in his home. How is that excusable in the slightest? Factor in that high school students frequently do everything (including homework) in their bedrooms, and the use of this webcam feature could amount to state-sponsored child porn!
Apparently students had complained about the webcam periodically activating for no apparent reason. School IT officials called it a "technical glitch". Additionally, the students and parents these laptops were issued to were never told that this ability to activate the webcam existed - they were told only that "monitoring software" was on the computer. Now, if you were told your school/company-issued had "monitoring software" on it, would it even begin to cross your mind that that includes the ability to take photos of you?
Except this software includes the ability to remotely activate the computer's webcam to take pictures of the computer's surroundings. That's getting a little bit on the Big Brother side now...
But the lawsuit alleges that school IT officials were using this software to spy on students. In at least one instance, a student was confronted with a photo taken by this software as proof of "inappropriate activities" in his home. Read that last part again - in his home. How is that excusable in the slightest? Factor in that high school students frequently do everything (including homework) in their bedrooms, and the use of this webcam feature could amount to state-sponsored child porn!
Apparently students had complained about the webcam periodically activating for no apparent reason. School IT officials called it a "technical glitch". Additionally, the students and parents these laptops were issued to were never told that this ability to activate the webcam existed - they were told only that "monitoring software" was on the computer. Now, if you were told your school/company-issued had "monitoring software" on it, would it even begin to cross your mind that that includes the ability to take photos of you?
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IT run amok - Kromey