The Spy at Harriton High

StrydeHax Blog ^ | 21 February 2010 | Stryde

[Cyber Liberty]

What about the microphone?

[ShadowAce]

But first you have to suspect that the webcam is being used inappropriately/illegally.

Well, I was talking specifically about this situation, and what the other kids can do with their laptops.

What about the microphone?

A drop of superglue would solve it quite nicely. :)

[goldi]

The principal is denying it now:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/85207407.html?cmpid=15585797

This is getting to sound more like “Balloon Boy.” Someone’s lying.

[goldi]

The principal is denying it now:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/85207407.html?cmpid=15585797

This is getting to sound more like “Balloon Boy.” Someone’s lying.

[Vinnie]

The school district could save millions by NOT supplying each student w/ a laptop.

IMHO that is waaay over the top.

The kids likely spend most of their online time looking at porn and nude girlfriends.

[LibertyRocks]

In a way I feel for the kids because the adults should have taken the lead on making sure the computer was safe. But, then I would argue the kids and their parents had reasonable expectations to privacy which were callously disregarded by the school and the tech. I’m just glad we homeschool. I don’t need another reason to be paranoid about the safety of my kids...

[metmom]

Well, that’s what the public schools have been grooming us for for generations.

Looks like they’ve succeeded in a lot of cases.

[metmom]

She later added that, in more than a decade as assistant vice principal, she had "never disciplined a student" for actions beyond school property that had no connection to a school-related event, apparently in response to the Robbins lawsuit's allegation the student learned of the webcam surveillance from a school disciplinary action.

I wondered how long it would take for that to happen.

Since it's he said/she said, she can safely deny it and then demand proof that she's lying, knowing that no hard copies exist, or have been destroyed.

However, if nothing else, this did bring to light the fact that these computers had capabilities not honestly disclosed to the students and their families.

[metmom]

The adults should have put their foot down and refused to have their kids saddled with such a onerous burden.

[goldi]

“However, if nothing else, this did bring to light the fact that these computers had capabilities not honestly disclosed to the students and their families.”

That’s where the school district made their big mistake, hopefully out of ignorance, not malice. Perhaps the principal was unknowingly duped, made a scapegoat by someone (the kid and his parents, the IT Department, someone else?). What a career killer. No matter. The cat’s out of the bag. The computers are compromised, the school’s reputation is in tatters.

That IT department or whatever they call themselves — they’re something else. The FBI will straighten it all out.

[grey_whiskers]

I am corroded with jealousy that I failed to come up with that pun first!

Cheers!

[Tired of Taxes]

•Possession of a monitored Macbook was required for classes

•Possession of an unmonitored personal computer was forbidden and would be confiscated

Wow. So, I guess saying the students weren't "allowed" to use other computers was the right way to put it.

[Tired of Taxes]

I was wondering how long it was going to take before they slandered the plaintiff and set up the IT guy. Less than a week...that's got to be a record.

I'm just seeing this article tonight. But, I was talking to my DH (a programmer) earlier today. He was incredulous that anyone working in IT would go along with a plan involving spying via webcam on anyone at home. He said most people working in IT aren't shy about refusing to do something that's wrong because they KNOW the higher-ups will turn around and blame them later.

Yet, here's the school's IT guy admitting to it openly and proudly. :-0 Obviously, he was asked by the school to do it. But, it seems the IT department should've known better.

[Bikkuri]

I read an article about a year or so ago that mentioned something about the cam actually being in the center of the laptop monitor.. so that when you were online chatting with someone, it would appear that you were looking directly at them...

I’m not sure if this technology is out there yet.. but THAT is a scary thought.. and I don’t think that tape would work >.<

Have you heard anything about that, and how far along they are with that kind of technology?

Bikk

[ShadowAce]

I read the same information, but have not heard anything more on the subject.

[pray4liberty]

But, it seems the IT department should've known better.

True, and most in their right minds would refuse, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the two-faced school administrators told him (1) their lawyers said it was OK and perfectly legal to do or (2) don't ask, don't tell, and don't get caught.

Oops.

[pray4liberty]

They’ll claim ignorance of the law. That will be their defense, and they’ll think that’s sufficient.

Probably, but it won't be good enough. I am really surprised the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights in Philly hasn't joined this investigation.

Whoever got the big idea to do this needs to go where some prison pervert will be watching them 24/7.

[pray4liberty]

Re: your post #19... sounds to me you ran up against the zero tolerance brigade, as have I and scores of other parents battling the monsters abusing the system and using our taxpayers money doing it. That is exactly what they do to parents. It has accelerated under No Child Left Behind.

If they likewise get run over by the zero tolerance, no-excuses, everybody-gets-punished-the-same-regardless system, well...maybe that's a good lesson they need to learn.

[pray4liberty]

Especially notice the bit in the story about the admin bragging about sending cops to hunt down a stolen laptop, and how they went to the wrong house because the real perps were stealing wireless.

I worked in network security for a time. Your warnings are what we told our customers: it was imperative to secure the router with a passkey and install a firewall on every computer in the house. No excuses. This was the worst-case scenario that we outlined.

[Tired of Taxes]

it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the two-faced school administrators told him (1) their lawyers said it was OK and perfectly legal to do or (2) don't ask, don't tell, and don't get caught.

Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me, either.