School Shows Off Webcam Spying Capabilities
Big teacher is watching you.
One of the stranger bits of news that we've been tracking lately has dealt with the Lower Merion School District and its use of monitoring software in the Apple MacBooks that it has distributed to 2,300 of its students.
Student Blake J. Robbins is suing Lower Merion School 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.
It seems that the Lower Merion schools aren't the only one with the spying capabilities that were apparently used in the current class action lawsuit. A reader of Boing Boing pointed out that PBS aired a documentary a few weeks ago called "Digital Nation." In it, vice-principle of Intermediate School 339, Bronx, NY, Dan Ackerman showed how he's able to remotely monitor students through webcam.
Ackerman demonstrates the webcam spying ability: "They don't even realize we are watching," "I always like to mess with them and take a picture," and "9 times out of 10, THEY DUCK OUT OF THE WAY."
Oddly there are no questions regarding student privacy, which is likely how the recent class action lawsuit came about.
Click here to watch the video at PBS. Skip to around 4:36 to see the remote webcam monitoring.
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I want to know how long have this been going on?
"Ackerman demonstrates the webcam spying ability: "They don't even realize we are watching," "I always like to mess with them and take a picture,"
I must be terribly mistaken, but is he saying this with.......PRIDE?
Child porn!! This is big brother at work. The staff that used this needs to be fired.
If only I had one of these laptops, that vice principle douche would get many good views of the full moon.
Ummm, these are school owned laptops being used in school. The school is remotely accessing this laptops to make sure the students are working. The students are not supposed to have this camera application open (as he says they are using it for checking their appearance). So rather then giving them say a detention he orders their computer to take a picture. This is meant to get the students back to work rather then goofing off (which he says works). Why is this a bad thing?
Ummm, these are school owned laptops being used in school. The school is remotely accessing this laptops to make sure the students are working. The students are not supposed to have this camera application open (as he says they are using it for checking their appearance). So rather then giving them say a detention he orders their computer to take a picture. This is meant to get the students back to work rather then goofing off (which he says works). Why is this a bad thing?
When they're checking what the students do AT HOME, something is definitely wrong.
Ummm, these are school owned laptops being used in school. The school is remotely accessing this laptops to make sure the students are working. The students are not supposed to have this camera application open (as he says they are using it for checking their appearance). So rather then giving them say a detention he orders their computer to take a picture. This is meant to get the students back to work rather then goofing off (which he says works). Why is this a bad thing?
If your daughter had one of these laptops and pictures of her in various states of undress appeared on the internet how would you feel about it then?
put tape over the eye
I wonder what he was doing? *Snicker*
When they're checking what the students do AT HOME, something is definitely wrong.
Sure, but those all looked like not at home to me. You'd go use a real fracking mirror otherwise.
This means that you're telling me that it isn't just one, but MULTIPLE schools putting MACBOOKS on the PUBLIC BUDGET?!
That's starting to make me angry instead of just thinking it's a huge joke.
Alex Jones was talking about this going into effect last year and everyone said he was nuts.
Most of it is old news. There were previous reports about it. I want to know what was in the fine print when the laptops were issued to the students? Did parents have to sign anything? Lots of missing information.
Most of it is old news. There were previous reports about it. I want to know what was in the fine print when the laptops were issued to the students? Did parents have to sign anything? Lots of missing information.
It seems they 'forgot' to mention it to the parents.
Source
all these reports about activating camera's remotely just want me to cover the camera with duck tape until im ready to use it.
1984 people...... Wake up! Watch the movie if you have not seen it.
This is the future.
This means that you're telling me that it isn't just one, but MULTIPLE schools putting MACBOOKS on the PUBLIC BUDGET?!That's starting to make me angry instead of just thinking it's a huge joke.
Meanwhile the high school I graduated from 2 years ago *just* upgraded from Windows 98 to Windows 2000 in back 2006. That and the hardware was for the most part exactly the same (computers from 1998 or earlier)
This means that you're telling me that it isn't just one, but MULTIPLE schools putting MACBOOKS on the PUBLIC BUDGET?!That's starting to make me angry instead of just thinking it's a huge joke.
At one point my high school ditched the XP based computers (they were showing age) for brand new MacBooks (identical to the ones in the Frontline story) and iMacs all over the school. I thought (and still think) it was silly that they 1) changed their ENTIRE infrastructure to be based on OS X from WinXP, 2) spent obscene amounts of money on the computers, 3) bought computers that were incompatible with ~90-98% of the school's population, and 4) we typically used Citrix to run XP on the computers anyway. Why would you buy MacBooks to run XP?
I remember the army of "Geniuses" who spent their day setting up all of the MacBooks and the hilarity of the teachers when they complained about how slow the computers were (with the whole dock lit up like a Christmas Tree). It was just a big pain for everyone because just when the faculty got used to using their Windows-based laptops, the district thrust them into MacBooks.
This district is not the first, nor the last, to buy MacBooks for their schools.
School officials observing students through webcams is a privacy violation, IF they didn't sign a waiver acknowledging this would be done. Seems like a high court decision is in the future on this.
Increased tech in schools is essential to future education. Yes tax payers are going to gripe about it but the advantages of this exceed the cost. Education=prosperity/health=better living.
I dont particularly like the way Marcus Yam quoted Vice Principal Ackerman. I think his intentions in the video by taking pics of the students was not as voyeuristic as Yam made it out to be. Regardless his taking pics seems unnecessary when he could send an IM telling the kids to stop inappropriate use of the computer.
The webcams should be removed especially if they aren't directly useful from an education perspective. Why not put tape over it?
This is a simple problem. Put a square inch of gaffer's tape over the camera. Done.
As far as the news story, the parents' case is getting so much stronger, the school might as well give in.
This individual is a complete disgrace, even more so as a teacher. Such attitudes are unacceptable.
Even if the big brother/nanny police state will not take any action, it is a gross violation of laws and privacy. Is the next class action lawsuit rolling? He would deserve it wholeheartedly.
Spying on kids is so wrong
As a High School Principal, I find the thought of "policing" students at home repugnant. I do not have nor in any way want any authority over a student's actions outside the school boundaries. If they choose to not do homework then when they get to school without it they will face the consequences at school. Can anyone say "parent" or "family" in the USA?
The use of remote monitoring while in the school IMO is not an invasion of privacy. I am currently a college student going for my BS in computer science, and every single year I've had to sign an Acceptable Use Policy. Stated in said policy it essentially says that while on campus, my account may be monitored for inappropriate/illegal use by means of remote monitoring and logging of network activity (although my school doesn't care if I visit THW/FB/similar sites, they just don't like us going to youtube because of the bandwidth usage).
I do agree that remote monitoring a student while they are not on campus should highly illegal, however from the video you can see the laptop cabinets, so this school locks the laptops up while they are not in use at the school.
Those students don't even deserve those laptops in the first place. During my schools years, we sure didn't get any laptops. If the monitoring system was unnecessary, they would've not implemented such feature.
Quit talking non-sense people. As long as kids on the school property/campus, the school officials did NOT invade kids' privacy by monitoring their activity on the laptops which the kids do NOT own.
EnFission - I agree with you mate...
The use of remote monitoring while in the school IMO is not an invasion of privacy. I am currently a college student going for my BS in computer science, and every single year I've had to sign an Acceptable Use Policy. Stated in said policy it essentially says that while on campus, my account may be monitored for inappropriate/illegal use by means of remote monitoring and logging of network activity (although my school doesn't care if I visit THW/FB/similar sites, they just don't like us going to youtube because of the bandwidth usage). I do agree that remote monitoring a student while they are not on campus should highly illegal, however from the video you can see the laptop cabinets, so this school locks the laptops up while they are not in use at the school.
Hey genius, there is a big difference between monitoring an account and using video surveillance. You must be at the top of your class. Phoenix University?
My question is that with all the "budget problems" with the public schools how can they afford to purchase 2300 high school kids a laptop, let alone the most expensive brand, A MAC! The "budget problems" sounds like "MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS" propped up by a teachers union.
Well... I think that spying on the students is fundamentally wrong. Especially if they don't know that they are being watched. However... if the school gives you a laptop (for schoolwork) I think they have a right to use this technology. However, it shouldn't be mandatory to use the 'schools' laptops. Unwarranted spying and pulling pranks on students should be absolutely forbidden.
Hey genius, there is a big difference between monitoring an account and using video surveillance. You must be at the top of your class. Phoenix University?
By remote monitoring, I meant they could view our desktop, and take control of it if need be. My school uses a program called LanSchool which enables teachers and IT to view and control our desktops, and broadcast their own desktops across an entire classroom. And no, I would rather keep my soul thank you very much.
LanSchool Website
This is why I'd cover the cam up with a piece of tape just out of paranoia.
But, legally the schools have no ground to stand on here. It's one thing to snoop and police kids while they're in school. The supreme court already ruled (TLO v New Jersey) that the school takes on most of the rights of the parents when they're in school...and can do stuff like unwarranted searches. However, even with a disclaimer its unacceptable, reprehensible, and illegal to perform random video/picture surveillance on a student in his own private dwelling.
Theft prevention = lojack, not this.
Some of you here sound so pathetic. The officials never turned on the web cams. It was poor students who unfortunately couldn't afford mirrors. So stop bragging about covering the camera with a piece of tape. Officials NEVER turned on web cams. Besides, the user on the end of the laptop could see if indeed the camera was turned on by the officials. Please, think before you comment; otherwise, you sound like a 12 year old.
God give people wisdom to think critically.