Schools Using Video Surveillance on Students...

Topic jacked from YouChew

According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools' administrators, who have used this facility to spy on students and even their families. The issue came to light when the Robbins's child was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" and the Vice Principal used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence. The suit is a class action, brought on behalf of all students issued with these machines.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/17/school-used-student.html

Isn't that unconstitutional?

The school is part of the government and the government cannot spy on their citizens is what it is very simply put so...

shouldn't they be arrested?

Invasion of privacy much?
Holy crap schools can hack into your webcam to see you undress?
I don't know about the laws but ins't that alone is illegal
Well they better post the goddamn videos

They better not be in the bathrooms. I'll file lawsuit for invasion of privacy for that!

TheShadowWalker wrote:They better not be in the bathrooms. I'll file lawsuit for invasion of privacy for that!

They're in bedrooms. That's just as bad, if not worse.

Like I said...
They better not put one there.

I say the schools should do this, because no one else does. There's certainly not people who gave birth to the children, who made them from their own flesh and blood and are naturally supposed to watch and guide them in early life, called parents.

Nope. Definitely not.

That's amusing.

I use my computer in the bathroom sometimes, etc. Everyone does change, I hope. Well, my dad always covers his webcam unless using it and if it was a computer issued by the school, I probably would too.

I just don't have a webcam. Problem solved.

I want to see them try that sh!t on me,nega.

The worse thing is that the students weren't even aware that the webcam was on since the school lied about the green light coming on and said it was just a glitch!

If the computer's not on, it can't supply power to the webcam, nor can they access it from the internet to turn it on. That's another way to solve the problem.

A classic example of an invasion of privacy. Schools have no business monitoring students in their homes. This is illegal and tasteless. Students should be treated like students and actual people. They are not robots. They are not toys. They are not animals. Big Brother tries to put its foot in the door once again...

Soviet Soldier wrote:Isn't that unconstitutional?

The school is part of the government and the government cannot spy on their citizens is what it is very simply put so...

shouldn't they be arrested?

Yes, the government should be arrested.

The district claimed to only have put in the device to locate laptops, but apparently they use it for illegal invasion of privacy, too. I wouldn't want to take my school-issued laptop home if I knew they had webcams controlled by administration. It's one thing if they caught him using the school's laptop to get onto restricted websites or look up porn, but it's quite another when the district punishes a student for behavior within his/her own home or the home of a friend or relative.

And because of Lower Merion's mistake, they have a crapload of people to deal with. It isn't just this kid and his parents, but every student issued a laptop and their immediate and/or residential families. About 1800 students plus the relatives that live with them. By punishing a student for something they had no business knowing, the district faces a class-action suit of several hundreds on the grounds of 4 national acts, the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution, a state act of Pennsylvania, and state law.

A lot of trouble they got themselves into. I hope the district court rules in favor of the Plaintiff Class.