PA School Under Investigation for Peeping Tom Activities

[majorloser]

A Pennsylvania school district is under FBI investigation for possible "peeping tom" activities for activating school supplied laptop webcams and spying on students.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902004.html

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1534&tag=results;CR1

Why would having this ability, much less loading the software, be considered a good idea to any school district? For the moment let's forget that all corporate IT adminstrators are Nazis. This isn't in the coporate world. We're talking about a government run organization who is monitoring minors in their own homes. This goes way past comon sense.

I'd say it's about time to add a little duct tape or black paint over the webcams and microphones to these laptops.

I hate IT departments (I know mine is watching me right now)

 

[bandphan]

Did you see the kids sister?? You might peep too

 

[Stereodude]

Uh, no thanks. I'll pass on that.

 

[Matt34]

Yeah, I've been following this on another forum. These are the people that are suppose to be educating our childern and they are making decisions like this?

 

[gmichael]

Somebody somewhere said to themselves, "yeah, that's a great idea."

 

[Matt34]

What someone wrote on the other forum about privacy expectation:

Do you have a reasonable expectation of privacy on a government owned computer? If you are dumb enough to bring that laptop into your home there is little hope for you OR your family.

Working for and being a minor (aka student) is quite different. Minors are a "protected persons" and without specified written consent of their guardians whatever the students signed at school regarding the laptops wouldn't hold up in any court.

While I don't believe the law is current to this specific topic (remote "spying" via webcam). It is reasonable to assume in regards to the current law that a minor has an expectation of privacy from a government agency within the confines of their home barring a warrant.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

That's the school district Kobe Bryant went to. It's not too far from me...I had nothing to do with it.

 

[majorloser]

That's the school district Kobe Bryant went to. It's not too far from me...I had nothing to do with it.

Yeah, sure......

 

[gmichael]

Yeah, sure......

No, really. I watched him not do anything.

 

[bandphan]

Uh, no thanks. I'll pass on that.

Ya, thats what snoop said too

 

[majorloser]

No, really. I watched him not do anything.

He probably sold them the software.

But seriously, these are minors we're talking about. I just can't believe anybody in their right minds would think this was a good idea to even buy the software, much less ever use it. The reason they're getting investigated now for wrong doing is the exact reason it should have dawned on somebody it was a bad idea. Good intentions or not, you're now a pedophile for invading a minor's privacy away from the school.

I really hope somebody get charged and convicted just to prove the point to the rest of the school districts thinking about doing something similar.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Yeah, I've been following this on another forum. These are the people that are suppose to be educating our childern and they are making decisions like this?

I think you mean indoctrinating our children Matt

I am sure there were some laws broke here, and If I were a parent with a kid in that school I would be pisssed. I agree with major; IT managers are like little Nazi's or something. It was one of the reasons I got out of IT altogether