Is your school spying on YOU?

[Ben333]

Perhaps if it IS stolen they could check the web cam. Otherwise I find it very inappropriate. GPS ought to be enough.

 

[muddocktor]

To me, this is just another example of "Big Government" eroding yet more of the few rights we still have. I was made to read the book "Animal Farm" when I was in high school in the 70's, but never thought I would live to see the day when crap like this would be happening in the US.

I hope they throw the book at all the IT idiots involved with this and reserve some "special" cellmates for them to share cells with for their whole sentence. Someone nicknamed "Bubba" or "Bruno" would do just fine for their roomies.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

My dog is named Bubba, and he got his name after a stint of trouble I ran into. Never shared confined quarters with a man named Bubba, but it reminds me of the past I've learned from.

I agree about the erosion of rights, the idea that this could possibly in any way be "okay" in this country is a shame. Unfortunately, when we give rights up because we're scared of terrorists or whatever, those forfeitures have a way of creeping into other parts of society also. Rarely if ever do you get rights back once they are gone.

I think the girl whose sueing her high school because they suspended her for a facebook page is along the same lines - schools thinking they have permission to abuse the rights of minors.
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/02/22/1447205/Suspension-of-Disbelief?art_pos=16

 

[muddocktor]

Yeah, I read about that bunch of horse manure too, and that is just a crying shame that a school principal even thought they could control what a student expressed about a teacher on something totally not connected to the school. It wasn't even libel, but rather an opinion expressed by the student too. Makes me wonder if said principal has a picture of his hero on the office wall, with said picture being one of Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin or some other tyrannical despot that stomped all over people's rights.

 

[mbigna]

It's not looking too good for the school:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...stop_laptop_spying?taxonomyId=84&pageNumber=1

 

[4GHZ_or_bust]

The school district must also preserve all electronic evidence, including any photographs taken by remotely activated laptop cameras. Blake Robbins' MacBook is also to be examined by a third-party computer forensics expert, DuBois said.

Hmmm if they are going to comb over the hard drive with fine toothed combs, they just may find something resembling child porn, which would really sink the whole school district.

 

[VinnyTAMU]

This just further proves the point that nothing in life is free, even a laptop that your school gives you!

 

[Marshmallow64]

mind sharing that program's name to us?

It actually came with my dell monitor webcam. Forgot what the program was called though.

 

[mbigna]

Update

It appears that this was NOT an isolated incident. There are not only hundreds (if not over a thousand) pics, but screen captures and chat logs as well. AND, there are e-mails between the 'voyeurs' who seem to be enjoying their ability to eavesdrop on the students.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100415_Lawyer__Laptops_took_thousands_of_photos.html

 

[madhatter256]

That's just plain wrong. The thing is.... why give the student the laptop in the first place???

To condition into knowing that there will always be Big Brother watching you?

And since this is happening in an inner-city school in Philly.... this just perpetuates the notion to kids not to trust authority figures.

 

[BenF]

I have a school provided laptop from my university. I got it mainly because my little sister needed a new computer to use and I lent her my personal laptop. I was definitely paranoid about what type of monitoring software they put on my laptop, if any, so I reformatted it within 2 hours of getting it

@4GHZ or bust,

I'm certain they have child porn in their storage facility. If thats the case, then there could be a ton of jail time involved. A superintendent at a michigan school distict got caught with child porn and was sentenced to 60 years the other day.

 

[tinymouse2]

I'm certain they have child porn in their storage facility. If thats the case, then there could be a ton of jail time involved. A superintendent at a michigan school distict got caught with child porn and was sentenced to 60 years the other day.

Sheesh! 60 years? How much was that guy stockpiling?

 

[eobard]

Sheesh! 60 years? How much was that guy stockpiling?

Should there be a minimum amount!?

 

[tinymouse2]

Should there be a minimum amount!?

Well BenF PMd me the details and I fully support the charge.
As for a minimum? Depends what they do. I'm slightly biased because I know someone who received a reprimand for having a picture of his girlfriend when they were both 14. Just happened that he dropped his phone sometime and it was handed into the police. Nothing actually happened between them apart from some picture sending.
Well the news was leaked by someone and people were calling him a paedophile for about 2-3 years and yet every day so many people get away with worse offences that are known about by the police.

I don't think I said anything that would offend anyone but please moddy's do poke me if I've stepped out of line at all.

 

[eobard]

Well BenF PMd me the details and I fully support the charge.
As for a minimum? Depends what they do. I'm slightly biased because I know someone who received a reprimand for having a picture of his girlfriend when they were both 14. Just happened that he dropped his phone sometime and it was handed into the police. Nothing actually happened between them apart from some picture sending.
Well the news was leaked by someone and people were calling him a paedophile for about 2-3 years and yet every day so many people get away with worse offences that are known about by the police.

I don't think I said anything that would offend anyone but please moddy's do poke me if I've stepped out of line at all.

Were I in charge of writing the kiddie porn laws for the entire world things like one underage kid having a semi-nude pic of his/her gf/bf would not qualify under criminal statutes, nor would something like a pic of "baby's first bath" to be send to grandma and grandpa. But once those types of things are removed from the list and all you have left are legitimate pictures of exploited children that exist for the sake of child exploitation, then there should be no minimum number of shots to invoke serious penalties.

 

[Mother Goose]

Were I in charge of writing the kiddie porn laws for the entire world things like one underage kid having a semi-nude pic of his/her gf/bf would not qualify under criminal statutes, nor would something like a pic of "baby's first bath" to be send to grandma and grandpa. But once those types of things are removed from the list and all you have left are legitimate pictures of exploited children that exist for the sake of child exploitation, then there should be no minimum number of shots to invoke serious penalties.

What does semi-nude mean? What about an 18-year old caught with a picture of his (at the time) 14-year old girlfriend, taken four years past? What about baby's-first-bath pictures sent to a godfather or godmother or aunt or uncle or brother-in-law twice-removed? What if I sent baby's-first-bath pictures to my best friend and best man in the marriage? Still against the law?

I don't disagree with what you're saying. But presumably, drafting an air-tight list of exceptions is not as easy as one might think.

 

[tinymouse2]

Were I in charge of writing the kiddie porn laws for the entire world things like one underage kid having a semi-nude pic of his/her gf/bf would not qualify under criminal statutes, nor would something like a pic of "baby's first bath" to be send to grandma and grandpa. But once those types of things are removed from the list and all you have left are legitimate pictures of exploited children that exist for the sake of child exploitation, then there should be no minimum number of shots to invoke serious penalties.

Completely agree with you. This superintendent for example DEFINITELY deserved it and frankly he can rot in jail.
I was kinda shocked when I found that you could no longer take a video of your daughter while she's doing ballet or something similar. I think that's pretty sad since all my female friends that used to do ballet have videos of them doing it at home and it's always hilarious to watch them (always embarrassing for them, everyone wins ).
I mean if you have kids aren't you less likely to be a paedophile?

 

[4GHZ_or_bust]

Agree about letting them sit in the jail a long time for improper use of web cams. The article did mention the boy was photographed in state of undress.

As for baby pictures, that is gray area. Family picture of young baby and little kids (soft porn basically) doing cute things are probably OK as long as the intent was for memory and to embarrass the kid later but if the intent was to share them for sexual gratification, that becomes child porn. It is pretty much up to the judge to decide what the intent of the photo (and video) is to decide if it is just cute family pictures or worse.

If you take picture of your little kids, don't show them outside your immediate family, and don't use photo lab to make prints. It should be OK.

 

[eobard]

What does semi-nude mean? What about an 18-year old caught with a picture of his (at the time) 14-year old girlfriend, taken four years past? What about baby's-first-bath pictures sent to a godfather or godmother or aunt or uncle or brother-in-law twice-removed? What if I sent baby's-first-bath pictures to my best friend and best man in the marriage? Still against the law?

I don't disagree with what you're saying. But presumably, drafting an air-tight list of exceptions is not as easy as one might think.

It is as easy as I might think, but that's only because I think it's almost frickin' impossible! Drawing the line anywhere other than the absolute beginning (meaning nothing is acceptable) or the absolute end (meaning everything is acceptable) is always difficult. All we can do is hope the people in charge of dealing with the issue have both the wisdom to see the difference between one situation and another, and the flexibility to apply the rules accordingly.

 

[Archer0915]

As far as porn goes I think common sense need prevail. As far as schools and the like spying well I see it this way! If you are legit then there is nothing to worry about. I here a lot of complaints about privacy but the truth is if you did not buy it and it is not your private property then nothing should be personal.

Phone calls should be monitored at work and cell phones not allowed. I have seen cases in industry where a cell costs money and or injury. In the commercial sector it is a little different but my feelings are the same.