http://americasright.com/?p=3159

Quote :

"A class action lawsuit filed late yesterday in Federal Court in Philadelphia has shed light on a secret surveillance program targeting Americans, but this particular operation is not being run by the FBI or the NSA. It’s being run by the Lower Merion School District, in the old-money Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. The complaint, filed by minor high school student Blake Robbins and his parents, alleges that the school district has been spying on the activities of students and students’ families through the “indiscriminant use of and ability to remotely activate the webcams incorporated into each laptop issued to students,” all without the knowledge or consent of any of the students or parents involved. Through a one-to-one laptop computer initiative funded by state and federal grants, each of the approximately 1,800 students in the school district’s two high schools, Harriton High School in Rosemont, PA and Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA were issued a webcam-equipped personal laptop computer. The initiative, according to remarks by Superintendent—and defendant—Christopher McGinley on the district’s Web site, “enhances opportunities for ongoing collaboration, and ensures that all students have 24/7 access to school based resources and the ability to seamlessly work on projects and research at school and at home.” What students and parents did not know, however, was that the 24/7 access goes both ways. According to the complaint, nowhere in any of the documentation accompanying the laptops or otherwise disseminated to students and parents was any reference made to the ability of the school district to remotely activate the webcam embedded in each laptop at any time, according to the district’s discretion. How the capability was discovered should be enough to put any who value civil liberties and privacy on the edge of their seat. From the complaint (emphasis mine): On November 11, 2009, Plaintiffs were for the first time informed of the above-mentioned capability and practice by the School District when Lindy Matsko, an Assistant Principal at Harriton High School, informed minor Plaintiff 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 embedded in minor Plaintiff’s personal laptop issued by the School District. It was only then that Blake Robbins’ father, Michael, verified from Assistant Principal Lindy Matsko that the school district did in fact have the capability of remotely activating the cameras embedded in the district-issued laptop computer wherever the computer may be situated and regardless of whether the student is using it, and that the school district could at any time choose “to view and capture whatever images were in front of the webcam, all without the knowledge, permission or authorization of any persons then and there using the laptop computer.” The school district’s conduct, the plaintiffs allege, runs afoul of not only the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, but also a laundry list of federal and state laws intended to protect the privacy of people and stored information alike. This includes the Electronic Communication Privacy Act, the Computer Fraud Abuse Act, the Stored Communications Act, §1983 of the Civil Rights Act, the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act, and Pennsylvania common law as well. In the complaint, the plaintiffs voice concerns as to any students or family members who could have been caught in “embarrassing and humiliating” situations, noting that “the laptops at issue were routinely used by students and family members while at home,” and that “many of the images captured and intercepted may consist of images of minors and their parents or friends in compromising or embarrassing positions, including, but not limited to, in various stage of dress or undress.” Blake Robbins and his parents are represented by Mark Haltzman of Lamm Rubenstone LLC. Class members include any students who have been issued webcam-equipped personal laptop computers by the Lower Merion School District. The plainiffs are seeking punitive and other damages stemming from the school district’s invasion of privacy. Robbins v. Lower Merion School District, case number 2:10cv00665, was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, February 16, 2010"

Let me be the first to say... WHAT THE FUCK?

2/18/2010 3:07:14 PM

Quote :

"WHAT THE FUCK"

2/18/2010 3:21:42 PM

i don't see the problem with this

2/18/2010 3:21:48 PM

Big wow.

2/18/2010 3:26:07 PM

Quote :

"i don't see the problem with this"

care to elaborate?

2/18/2010 3:28:08 PM

i don't see the problem with this

2/18/2010 3:35:11 PM

of all the stupid things i've ever seen a school district do, this might top the list

they are potentially (and its highly likely) in possession of child pornography (its another matter whose job it is to monitor and get rid of it)

fuck, not only in possession but they are the ones who created it in the first place

2/18/2010 3:39:58 PM

why did this get moved to tech talk?

we arent talking about the technology involved, its a legal issue

2/18/2010 3:47:54 PM

A computer is involved - tech talk
A school was involved - study hall
Political involvement - soap box

2/18/2010 3:49:44 PM

I made it in tech talk.

I figured IT people would have more of a technological and ethical interest in this sort of thing.

[Edited on February 18, 2010 at 3:50 PM. Reason : ]

2/18/2010 3:50:10 PM

oh i could have sworn i found it in soapbox when i posted, guess not

2/18/2010 3:54:50 PM

This kid won't be going to college..

because he'll get millions from this.

2/18/2010 4:14:13 PM

http://gizmodo.com/5474614/school-spies-students-through-their-laptop-cameras

Quote :

"Frequently, the green lights next to our iSight webcams will turn on. The school district claims that this is just a glitch. We are all doubting this now. I questioned the IT guy about why it was happening he said that it was because people logged out when an application using the camera was on, he also stated that they could in fact go and look through your webcam it would just violate the fifth ammendment and that's why they didn't."

2/18/2010 4:20:57 PM

What the... WOW. ^That's some serious shady shit going on there. Heads should roll.

2/18/2010 4:38:27 PM

Wow...the amount of wrong here is mind-boggling. Illegal surveillance, possible FERPA violations, creation and transmission of child pornography...and just the sheer craziness of a school surreptitiously monitoring their students at home without anyone's knowledge. Yikes.

2/18/2010 4:57:03 PM

Holy shit.

Not only did the capability exist, the school was actively using it to monitor students at home.

How many people were in on this?

2/18/2010 5:18:00 PM

It would be one thing if the schools made students sign a disclaimer such that they knowingly take a laptop to which the school my spy on them. A whole new level of foul is the fact that they hid this "feature" and did not even inform the parents. I see a MAJOR lawsuit in the works.

2/18/2010 5:52:57 PM

Wow

2/18/2010 6:01:10 PM

What's really crazy is that the school incriminated themselves.... apparently they saw nothing wrong with what they were doing. They're fucked.

2/18/2010 6:30:34 PM

^

2/18/2010 7:57:59 PM

Quote :

"informed minor Plaintiff 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 embedded in minor Plaintiff’s personal laptop issued by the School District."

The one thing I am confused by about this would be did they actually remotely control and capture this, or did the kid use the webcam himself and then left the incriminating photo/video on the laptop when a technician working on it at school saw it? Working in this environment with some laptops, but certainly not 1:1 student laptops, I am not even sure how the hell this would be possible myself.

From an IT perspective, the only reason I could justify using this is if the student was vandalizing or doing something illegal or suspected to be illegal with school property. For example, if you thought somebody had stolen a laptop from a student and wanted to know who was using it. Other than something like that, I can't really see why the hell you would do this.

[Edited on February 18, 2010 at 8:05 PM. Reason : ]

2/18/2010 8:02:59 PM

Another article I read stated that it was not a picture the student took himself.

2/18/2010 8:17:03 PM

I doubt that scenario.

[Edited on February 18, 2010 at 8:36 PM. Reason : asdf]

2/18/2010 8:35:24 PM

For the tech crowd, this is why you ALWAYS wipe a machine when you first get it. Who knows what is on it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see ACLU jump all over this one. The ruling could set a dangerous precedent for student rights if it goes poorly.

2/18/2010 8:35:58 PM

Quote :

"mersonix001 02/18/10 As a student at the school, I can say that we waved our right when we signed the EULA and (rumor has it) that the kid was "popping pills" and waxing his carrot on the webcam. Reply "

LOL

but yeah this is fucked up Major incompetence on the side of the school

2/19/2010 8:02:54 AM

students can’t sign a EULA, because they aren’t 18.

And you no contract can unreasonably limit constitutional rights anyway.

2/19/2010 8:11:40 AM

Quote :

"And you no contract can unreasonably limit constitutional rights anyway."

This is pretty much all that matters. A contract is void if it restricts your constitutional rights.

2/19/2010 8:24:34 AM

^^Students can't sign a EULA, but parents can. And the students have to sign a code of conduct.

Again, I ain't saying spying on kids is right. But I understand why this policy would have been put in the use contract. Of course as a school district IT guy, I am completely against giving out laptops for all kids to take home. I think its a ridiculous waste of money myself. Let them use them at school or invest it in other technologies that can have a bigger impact, like smartboards. We almost went 1:1, and I'm so thankful we didn't.

[Edited on February 19, 2010 at 8:42 AM. Reason : ]

2/19/2010 8:41:20 AM

I'm pretty sure the EULA isn't going to cover this situation.

90% of the time this laptop is going to be in their bedroom, these cameras are going to capture some naked kids even if they are basically doing nothing wrong.

2/19/2010 8:57:02 AM

^^ i’m skeptical of the claims laptops help that much too, but even if i was fully behind it, I can’t think of any scenario where i’d EVER think of activating the cameras for spying purposes, or any purpose (unless the laptop was stolen).

2/19/2010 8:59:14 AM

Quote :

"It would be one thing if the schools made students sign a disclaimer such that they knowingly take a laptop to which the school my spy on them. A whole new level of foul is the fact that they hid this "feature" and did not even inform the parents. I see a MAJOR lawsuit in the works."

haha goddamn HUR is an insightful motherfucker

2/19/2010 9:36:36 AM

^^ That's what the school is trying to spin it as now. They're saying it was a feature that activated when the laptop was reported as stolen.

However, that DOES NOT COMPUTE (heh) with statement from students such as:

Quote :

"Frequently, the green lights next to our iSight webcams will turn on. The school district claims that this is just a glitch. We are all doubting this now."

It seems like the school is going into major COA mode, which means they've probably already wiped the shit out of all the laptops. This of course means a tampering with evidence charge can be added as well.

2/19/2010 10:22:22 AM

electrical tape ftw

2/19/2010 12:02:42 PM

4th amendment rights ftw

2/19/2010 12:40:37 PM

For the Winz if the hot high school cheerleader has the computer!!!

2/19/2010 1:32:58 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/19/laptop.suit/index.html?hpt=T2

Quote :

"(CNN) -- Pennsylvania parents are suing their son's school, alleging it watched him through his laptop's webcam while he was at home and unaware he was being observed. Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley are suing the Lower Merion School District, its board of directors and the superintendent. The parents allege the district unlawfully used its ability to access a webcam remotely on their son's district-issued laptop computer. The lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit said that on November 11, an assistant principal at Harriton High School told the plaintiffs' son that he was caught engaging in "improper behavior" in his home and it was captured in an image via the webcam. According to the Robbinses' complaint, neither they nor their son, Blake, were informed of the school's ability to access the webcam remotely at any time. It is unclear what the boy was doing in his room when the webcam was activated or if any punishment was given out. Doug Young, a spokesman for the Lower Merion School District, said the district would only remotely access a laptop if it were reported to be lost, stolen or missing. Young said if there were such a report, the district first would have to request access from its technology and security department and receive authorization. Then it would use the built-in security feature to take over the laptop and see whatever was in the webcam's field of vision, potentially allowing it to track down the missing computer. Young said parents and students were not explicitly told about this built-in security feature. To receive the laptop, the family had to sign an "acceptable-use" agreement. To take the laptop home, the family also would have to buy insurance for the computer. In an "acceptable-use" agreement, the families are made aware of the school's ability to "monitor" the hardware, he said, but it stops short of explicitly explaining the security feature. He termed that a mistake. Young added that mistakes might be made when combining technology and education in a cutting-edge way. All 2,300 students at the district's two high schools were offered laptops to "enhance opportunities for ongoing collaboration and ensure that all students have 24/7 access to school-based resources," according to a message on the superintendent's Web site, which the suit quoted. Young said the district is proud of the laptop program and the ability to close the technology gap between students who have computers at home and those who don't. But he acknowledged schools will have to take a step back to re-evaluate the policies and procedures surrounding the program. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania isn't involved in the litigation, but its director, Vic Walczak, criticized the school district's action. "Neither police nor school officials can enter a private home, physically or electronically, without an invitation or a warrant. The school district's clandestine electronic eavesdropping violates constitutional privacy rights, intrudes on parents' right to raise their children and may even be criminal under state and federal wiretapping laws," Walczak said "... George Orwell's '1984' is an overused metaphor, but it applies here in spades. Part of the school officials' punishment should be to retake ninth-grade civics class." Kevin Bankston, a senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation who specializes in electronic privacy, also said the school may have broken federal wire-tapping laws. He called the school district's action "foolish and dangerous," saying the matter could prove to be a warning to other districts. Multiple requests for further comment from the Robbinses' attorney, Mark Haltzman of Lamm Rubenstone LLC, went unanswered."

2/20/2010 8:08:10 AM

i beleive they were using something like "back to my mac" which is designed to 1) access your computer from home if you want or 2) if it's stolen, you can turn the camera on and pretty much locate it. I can understand the school having this for when the laptops "are lost" but it sounds like the it guy thought they we "the law" judge dread style

2/20/2010 8:17:35 AM

^Yea what they did was definitely fucked up. I personally have a life after work and have no desire to sit at home and watch some fucking kids playing on a damn laptop. We have cameras around school campus that we use, but that shit is only for safety. This should have been only used for a case where a laptop was considered stolen or used for illegal activity. Other than that, just revoke the kids laptop privilege and don't worry about it.

2/20/2010 8:37:39 AM

fbi investigating

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587034,00.html?test=latestnews

2/20/2010 9:29:16 AM

lmao. There is no fucking excuse for this shit. School administrators are scum.

2/20/2010 11:20:16 AM

Quote :

"School administrators are power tripping pieces of shit scum."

2/20/2010 11:22:19 AM

Quote :

"i don't see the problem with this"

wow.

2/21/2010 8:02:23 AM

I had the same prob w my speak-and-spell back in the day. Just got to take the batteries out.

2/21/2010 6:17:35 PM

This blogger has by far the most complete picture I've seen of what's actually going on with this whole sorry situation: http://strydehax.blogspot.com/2010/02/spy-at-harrington-high.html

In addition to a technical dissection, it includes some very interesting stories coming in from students of that district. The quick summary:
-Possession of a monitored Macbook was required for classes
-Possession of an unmonitored personal computer was forbidden and would be confiscated
-Disabling the camera was impossible
-Jailbreaking a school laptop in order to secure it or monitor it against intrusion was an offense which merited expulsion

Also in that link, this is the relevant section of an old screencast by the school network admin, bragging about the security software: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHu92imqJec (It's a program called LANRev.)

Finally, someone else takes a quick look at an actual student laptop: http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/blog/2 (They're locked-down MacBooks.)

This hole just keeps getting deeper.

2/25/2010 10:20:23 AM

Probably some pervs in the IT dept.

2/25/2010 10:49:05 AM

As an IT Professional I will say there are a lot of pervs here. Most of them think they're smarter than their users. The small percentage that also believe they can get away with anything are what leads to this kind of shit.

2/25/2010 10:55:21 AM

Quote :

"Disabling the camera was impossible"

even if this were true, tape over the lens would effectively disable it...i understand the point of the statement, but it amuses me when people use the word "impossible" without understanding its meaning

[Edited on February 25, 2010 at 11:21 AM. Reason : .]

2/25/2010 10:57:45 AM

Well hope they know better than to lie to FBI, they will nail you for that quicker than the crime.

2/25/2010 10:58:26 AM

That never happens!

2/25/2010 5:14:06 PM

Quote :

"Probably some pervs in the IT dept."

They have stated several times it was an admin, not an IT guy. Yea, there are def. some pervs in IT, but I don't think any of them have been implicated in this shitstorm, yet.

Quote :

"Possession of a monitored Macbook was required for classes"

Makes sense.

Quote :

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

I don't want your virus ridden unsupported piece of shit on my network, so absolutely agree with this. Plus if they need special software installed for class, I'm not installing it on your personal shit, nor am I supporting your personal computer. Call Geek Squad if you want that.

Quote :

"Disabling the camera was impossible"

Tape FTW.

Quote :

"Jailbreaking a school laptop in order to secure it or monitor it against intrusion was an offense which merited expulsion"

Hell yeah. You go fucking with school property and I would absolutely take the computer away and have you suspended or worse. Disabling the monitoring software makes it a LOT easier to steal the laptop.

I got a meeting, but I'll check the rest of those links and shit later.

[Edited on February 26, 2010 at 8:18 AM. Reason : ]

2/26/2010 8:18:33 AM