School Activates Students Webcams

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Has Big Brother Moved In?

I know this is sort of old news, but I have wanted to write about it for sometime, it’s just now I’m getting to it. I don’t think people have understood the ramifications of allowing something like this to continue.

We must speak up, and let our voices be heard. We will no longer tolerate the erosion of our privacy rights.

Our Governments is testing us folks….just seeing how far they can go, and how ignorant will are to it. I suggest you read, The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America.

Several students at Harriton High School, located in the Lower Merion School District near Philadelphia were given Apple MacBook laptops to use both at school and at home.

These specific MacBooks had webcams built in to each of them, which gives the user the ability to take pictures or videos. The problem here is that the school district activated these webcams and was spying on its students and whoever used the laptop.

Experts in electronic privacy law believe the district’s actions could amount to illegal wiretapping. “I think they had to get consent to take photos,” said University of San Francisco law professor Susan Friewald, who writes on the issue.

“It seems like a great idea to have the school issue a laptop,” she said. “(But) if the school districts are going to use them to spy on students, we should certainly be concerned.” [source]

A civil suit has been filed in federal court, a student at the school, Blake Robbins, said he received a notice from an assistant principal informing him that "the school district was of the belief that minor plaintiff was engaged in improper behavior in his home, and cited as evidence a photograph from the Webcam."

The district said in a statement that the "security feature was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student." The district further explained that "upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature was activated by the district's security and technology departments. The tracking-security feature was limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator's screen." The district claims it has "not used the tracking feature or Webcam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever."

Subsequently, district Superintendent of Schools Christopher W. McGinley sent a letter to parents saying that the security tracking feature is being disabled and that there will be "a thorough review of the existing policies for student laptop use" and a "review of security procedures to help safeguard the protection of privacy, including a review of the instances in which the security software was activated."

The Associated Press is reporting that the FBI is investigating the district and "will explore whether Lower Merion School District officials broke any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws," according to an unnamed official who spoke to the AP.

In an interview with CBS Evening News plaintiff Blake Robbins said he was unaware that the camera could be activated at his house. "I thought that there was no way that they could do that at my home,"

Robbins said, adding that the assistant principal "thought I was selling drugs, which is completely false."

On the CBS Early Show, Harriton High sophomore Savannah Williams said she keeps the laptop in her bedroom and says that its on while she is "getting changed, doing my homework, taking a shower, everything." She said she takes it into the bathroom with her to listen to music while showering. "I was shocked," she added. She said "everyone is talking about it at school...everyone was really worried about 'what are they watching me doing.'"

At least one student at Harriton isn't particularly worried about the administration spying on students. In a podcast interview, 16-year-old junior Jon Brodo said "I don't think anyone knows the true story...the problem is in this case is that there are so many rumors going around." He said that he is somewhat concerned, but "I do trust that the school district knows its bounds." Brodo said that most students, however ,"it's been pretty hectic. It's the conversation of everybody. I've seen the kid (plaintiff Blake Robbins) in the hallways. The atmosphere is definitely pro the kid and antischool district."

Responding to what she called "many false allegations reported about me in the media," Harriton High School Assistant Principal Lynn Matsko gave an emotional response on Wednesday morning to allegations that she played any role in the alleged remote activation of a student's school-issued laptop Webcam to spy on the student at home.

View the Class Action Lawsuit filed

I watched the video, and can see she is clearly emotionally upset at these allegations. What I do not get is, that the school has already admitted doing this. We know this occurred by their own admission.

Is she being used as a scapegoat? Take a look at what TYT has to say about a Principal watching two 11 year old kids have sex.

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