SCHOOLS GAVE STUDENTS PC. THEN USED WEBCAMS TO SPY ON THEM !

[Daanyeer]

Schools gave students computers, then used webcams to spy on them: lawsuit
Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/artic ... em-lawsuit

Published On Thu Feb 18 2010
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
Staff Reporter


A wealthy suburban Philadelphia school district spied on its students with webcams in school-issued laptops, a lawsuit filed by one student’s parents charges.

Students only found out about the snooping when a principal told a student they had a picture of him doing something wrong in his home, the suit says.

“The school district has the ability to intercept images from that webcam of anyone or anything appearing in front of the camera at the time of activation,” the lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District claims.

“The school district has the ability to remotely activate the embedded webcam at any time,” the lawsuit says.

“Many of the images captured may consist of minors and their parents or friends in compromising or embarrassing positions, including various stages of undress.”

It was only when an assistant principal at Harriton High School told Grade 10 student Blake Robbins she had a picture that proved he “was engaged in improper behaviour in his home” that anyone realized the school could peep into students’ home lives without them knowing, the lawsuit says.

Assistant principal Lindy Matsko “cited as evidence a photograph from the webcam embedded in” Robbins’ school-issued laptop, the lawsuit says.

Blake’s parents, Michael and Holly Robbins, filed the lawsuit Feb. 11 on behalf of all 1,800 students at Lower Merion’s schools. The lawsuit alleges the webcams violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of privacy, Pennsylvania common law, the U.S. Civil Rights Act, and a variety of other laws.

In his welcome to students, posted on the district website, school district superintendent Dr. Christopher McGinley speaks glowingly of the program to give every student their own laptop and create “an authentic, mobile, 21st century learning environment.”

The program “ensures that all students have 24/7 access to school-based resources.”

The Robbins lawsuit contends the district also had 24/7 access to the students “by the unauthorized, inappropriate and indiscriminate remote activation of a webcam.”

“This is the first we have heard of the allegations,” district spokesman Doug Young said Thursday. “We can categorically state that we are, and always have been, committed to the privacy of our students.”

Young promised to answer specific questions at a later date.

Serving the wealthy Main Line outside of Philadelphia, the Lower Merion School District “is one of only two districts in Pennsylvania to earn Moody’s highest bond rating,” information in McGinley’s biography says. Its teachers are among the highest paid in Pennsylvania and its students’ college-entrance scores are among the highest in the country, the information says

[Madd_Scientist_]

Oh my, should've known that nothing is for free in this world. what a shame walaahi! Hope the parents win the law-suit.

[1_londoner]

Eurgh, perving on school kids... Only in America...

[snoop12]

Lol, too bad for those who have inbuild webcam on their labtops

[Narcissistic]

Sicccckoosss!!