Posted on 02/17/2010 5:28:43 PM PST by CJBernard
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.
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."
(Excerpt) Read more at americasright.com ...
They created the means to observe these students and their families in very private circumstances, without their knowledge, and they had to know they had that capability.
Just think of how many of those parents were just THRILLED that their little darlings got *free* laptops.
Pennsylvania, of course. You would expect nothing different.
Not everyone there is wealthy, but many of the families are. I grew up in the same county, and we had many relatives in the Lower Merion school district. It is part of what's known as The Main Line - a very wealthy district.
Even if there was no perv stuff going on, this is still a very serious offense.
Yes a good lesson there; don’t accept a free school laptop.
Why in the world does a school district have to buy laptops for students anyway.
Are the parents unable to Mapquest their way to BestBuy and buy a laptop for their kids?
You have to see this one.
Absolutely! As I said they should push for prosecution on every charge they can dig up. This should be slapped down hard.
I'm not a lawyer, but I'm quite sure they can't invade the privacy of a private home, which is what they were/are doing.
And I'm DAMN sure they couldn't invade my home.
Every single person involved in this needs to go to jail.
Then they need a complete overhaul of the administration.
Boy, you can say that again! It doesn't matter who was doing this or initiated it, they are all toast!
And yet they did anyway. More of a reason to ban school districts from buying toys like these for students.
You're joking, right? So in your world, the woman who is date-raped shouldn't complain because the guy bought her dinner, so what did she expect?
No, I am not. Since when is anything provided for "free" by government ever truly so?
So in your world, the woman who is date-raped shouldn't complain because the guy bought her dinner, so what did she expect?
Considering that most such situations are nothing more than he-said-she-saids in which a male is presumed guilty and there is no way for a crime to be proven, that is a bad comparison.
Um, OK. I think we’re having a little trouble grasping the essence of this issue. You’re not making sense.
Unless you are really into some strange stuff with your “laptop computer” I really don’t think date rape is at all comparable.
Look at the way the district promoted the laptops. This is straight from the Complaint in post #10:
>>>>> "The District is... in the final stages of implementing a one to one laptop computer initiative at the High Schools. Thanks in part to State and Federal grants secured by our technology staff... every high school student will have their own personal laptop - enabling an authentic mobile 21st Century learning environment. The initiative... launched... last year... 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. The result: more engaged, active learning and enhanced student achievement. While other districts are exploring ways to make these... incentives possible, our programs are already in place, it is no accident that we arrived ahead of the curve; in Lower Merion, our responsibility is to lead." <<<<<
Those students and families probably had no idea what was about to hit them.
Not quite. Taking the computers does not give the school district blanket permission to run them any way they like. It's still illegal.
What would have been more accurate to say is that the school district WILL run them any way they like.
You might find this story interesting.
Oh, that is really awful. Government schools are becoming used as tools for a surveillance state.
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