FBI Investigating Student Laptop, Candy Scandal

Apparently, the student was caught on his webcam eating Mike & Ike candies, which looked like pills.

In one of the more bizarre happenings in recent memory, the FBI has now stepped in to investigate the claim that a school has wrongfully used the ability to remotely control student webcams.

Student Blake J. Robbins is suing LowerMerionSchool District in Philadelphia allegedly remotely activating his webcam. The remote activation of his webcam was exposed when student Blake J. Robbins was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" by the Vice Principal, who provided a photo taken by the webcam as evidence.

The school confirmed that it has the ability to control the webcams, but that the capability has since been disabled in response to the recent issue.

The AP reports that the FBI is now investigating the matter to see if LowerMerionSchool District officials broke any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws.

Also revealed in the story is that LowerMerion issued an Apple laptop to each of its 2,300 students. Supposedly only two employees in the technology department were authorized to activate the cameras in the event of a missing laptop. The remote activation is only supposed to capture images, but not sound.

Now things are about to get even more bizarre. Robbins' attorney said on camera that the boy was caught on the webcam handling Mike & Ike candies, which could be mistaken for illegal pills.

We have a feeling that this is far from over.

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There are 59 Comments. B

Top Comments

31

Nightsilver , February 23, 2010 4:37 AM

Wait, wait. School officials are disciplining children for what they do at HOME?
27

flyinfinni , February 23, 2010 4:24 AM

wow... This just keeps getting more bizarre and ridiculous. I can't help but feel like someone from that school is gonna get fired.
27

kyeana , February 23, 2010 4:21 AM

"Take the blue pill to see just how far the rabbit trail goes...and the red one, and the green one, and the yellow one and the blue one again."

Other Comments

27

kyeana , February 23, 2010 4:21 AM

"Take the blue pill to see just how far the rabbit trail goes...and the red one, and the green one, and the yellow one and the blue one again."
27

flyinfinni , February 23, 2010 4:24 AM

wow... This just keeps getting more bizarre and ridiculous. I can't help but feel like someone from that school is gonna get fired.
-18

animal_chin , February 23, 2010 4:27 AM

This would never have happened if they gave the children Windows based systems.
23

Teirdome , February 23, 2010 4:28 AM

As American public schools are federally funded entities, wouldn't this qualify as the government spying on its citizenry?
21

dantheman1001 , February 23, 2010 4:28 AM

Wow is right... I'd be shocked if nobody gets fired here... There are so many BETTER ways to prevent laptop theft, how could anyone have thought this was a good idea?
20

curnel_D , February 23, 2010 4:35 AM

flyinfinniwow... This just keeps getting more bizarre and ridiculous. I can't help but feel like someone from that school is gonna get fired.

Not just fired, but escorted to his/her new federally funded vacation home.

Prison is a pain in the ass, and they deserve every bit of it.
31

Nightsilver , February 23, 2010 4:37 AM

Wait, wait. School officials are disciplining children for what they do at HOME?
-8

enderwiggen , February 23, 2010 4:39 AM

I bet you the camera caught him swallowing the "candies" whole rather than chewing.
14

the_krasno , February 23, 2010 4:47 AM

kyeana"Take the blue pill to see just how far the rabbit trail goes..."

Fail movie quote: Neo ate the red pill.
7

dj1001 , February 23, 2010 4:54 AM

the solution is so simple

put a piece of electrical tape over the lens whenever you are not using it
10

vishon , February 23, 2010 4:55 AM

I'd like to know what sort of illegal pills look like Mike & Ike candies. And furthermore, how could they establish he was eating pills (note the plural), or swallowing them when its a supposedly a single still picture?
21

babybeluga , February 23, 2010 4:55 AM

Good thing he wasn't sucking down a big, fat chocolate bar at the time...
5

micr0be , February 23, 2010 5:00 AM

i miss the old days ... when it was the students that had full control of the schools network ....(sub7even, netbus) ..... good times
20

greenmachineiijh , February 23, 2010 5:03 AM

I find the whole thing nauseating. What the heck is a school official disciplining a child for after school home activities in the first place? In all of these articles and interviews, no one has mentioned that that is its self is highly illegal. The moron who decided to watch and pursue a kid in his home has much bigger issues and apparently there was no "thought the laptop was stolen" lie if the original disciplinary action was for "improper Behavior" at home instead of "You stole our laptop". It is obvious he was being watched after school hours off of school campus. This begs the question, how many other children has the school been watching non-pursuant to their "Only for a stolen laptop" cover-up?
-13

gekko668 , February 23, 2010 5:03 AM

Look like the media is turning a simple rain into a storm.
9

enderwiggen , February 23, 2010 5:06 AM

vishonI'd like to know what sort of illegal pills look like Mike & Ike candies. And furthermore, how could they establish he was eating pills (note the plural), or swallowing them when its a supposedly a single still picture?

They probably been watching him for a while. He probably sells pills to other kids and they thought they'd stop him, or it was actually Mike&Ikes. Either way it was stupid as hell to think that spying on him was not going to cause this whole fiasco.
4

duk3 , February 23, 2010 5:16 AM

Lower Merion School District v Mike and Ikes
1

nixname , February 23, 2010 5:20 AM

animal_chinThis would never have happened if they gave the children Windows based systems.

True, instead of just the school, EVERYONE would be able to watch these kids eat candy...these kids and their damn sweet toothes...
16

Mousemonkey , February 23, 2010 5:24 AM

Quote:
Look like the media is turning a simple rain into a storm.

Perhaps, but how many other students have been watched whilst they were getting changed or undressing before taking a shower?
10

NapoleonDK , February 23, 2010 5:31 AM

dj1001the solution is so simpleput a piece of electrical tape over the lens whenever you are not using it

Nope, sorry. Won't work. These are Macbooks, remember? Big black electrical tape would look right at home on a Dell Latitude E6400, but to mar the beauty of a crystal white Mac? Heaven forbid...

HOLY CRAP I CAN'T SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE!!! LOLOL

BTW, activating the webcam while the student is at home = ILLEGAL in my book. Invasion of privacy FTL. Do not want.

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