Are Schools Violating Privacy with Student Laptop Webcams?

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A Philadelphia school district provided laptops to high school students, but it was later revealed that officials could remotely activate the webcams without notifying students or families. This breach of privacy has led to a lawsuit from plaintiffs who believe their personal moments were captured without consent. The district's superintendent emphasized their commitment to innovation, but this incident raises serious ethical concerns. Similar cases have been highlighted in media, showcasing staff accessing students' cameras under the guise of monitoring. The situation underscores the need for transparency and respect for student privacy in educational technology initiatives.
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A Philadelphia school district issued laptops to each of its high school students; pretty cool idea...

"It is no accident that we arrived ahead of the curve; in Lower Merion, our responsibility is to lead," Superintendent Christopher W. McGinley wrote on the district Web site.


Students later found out that school officials could (and apparently did) turn on the web cams remotely, and watch them at school and at home. They did this without notifying the students or families! Now the school district is being sued.

Plaintiffs Michael and Holly Robbins suspect the cameras captured students and family members as they undressed and in other embarrassing situations, according to the suit.

Unbelievable :eek:..someone has some 'splainin' to do!


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35461838/ns/technology_and_science-security/"
 
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lisab said:
...Students later found out that school officials could (and apparently did) turn on the web cams remotely, and watch them at school and at home. They did this without notifying the students or families! Now the school district is being sued. ...

There was a Frontline episode that was on a couple weeks ago which had something very similar. It showed a staff member of a school accessing various students' on-board laptop cameras to see what they were up to. He even admitted to occasionally altering things on their computer from his workstation while they were using it, and did so during the interview.

This was all done under the banner of making sure the students weren't goofing off.

Edit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/" is the episode I watched.
 
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lisab said:
Unbelievable
Yes, it's hard to swallow. If it's true, it's quite disgusting.
 
i'm sure it was all in the fine print
 

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