Webcam Privacy? Is there such a thing?

It occured in the Philly district where all these kids were given specked out laptops with all sorts of internals. The kids usually could be expected to have left their computers on at homeand several of them were "monitored" by faculty members who then met with a few students and warned them of :"inappropriate behavior" of the students or other family members in the privacy of their homes. OH BABY!!. Is there gonna be a suit filed in Fed district court ? WOULD YOU FEEL VIOLATED BY EVEN KNOWING THAT THIS HAD THE POTENTIAL OF GOING ON?
Lest just figure out the Constitutional elements that were violated and we are off to the races.
Remember There are more lawyers than pigeons in Philly and, like pigeons they get into everything.

I cannot fuckin believe this. Its been all over the papers and the radio talk shows. How and the hell could some school director ever approve something as blatant as this practice.

Ah. This rings a very familiar bell, farmer. Speaking from experience ...

Thing is, all the monitoring in the world is going to have only minimal effect. Most kids know heaps more about the ins & outs of the internet than their teachers & supervisors do. Getting around the rules, the internet filters, etc, is a sport, a challenge. Kids are pretty fast getting around these things. It's just what they automatically do, when faced with constrictions.

No, you misunderstand. The computers were provided to the kids who take them homw daily> The cameras and software allows the camera to be monitored via Wifi or whatever and the faculty can "tune in" on the kids. (At least thats what is alleged). SO the kids have been engaged in "Inapropriate behavior" (whoknows what they were doing). BUT, it is not the schools business what the kid does at home. and there is an expactation of privacy that we live by.
This will be a neat case (IMHO).

We have a reasonable expectation of privacy as per the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution

[ i] KATZ v USA[/i] affirms this . Katz was a bookie who was arrested based upon illegal FBI wiretaps . He was convicted and then the case was brought to USSC based on his 4th AMendment rights against illegal searches and seizures, and Katz won

I completely agree with you, farmer, that this should be the case. Private is private.

However, there have been cases of private (demeaned "inappropriate") usage of officially school-owned computers (in Oz) which have led to serious problems. A vague recollections of a teacher, who "inappropriately" used his work computer for personal (pornographic, I think) purposes - which somehow kids accessed ( ), getting himself into all sorts of strife. I believe he was sacked, as best I can recall. God knows how the law actually works in cases like this.

But in this case the school authoritues were actually SPYING on the kids via the webcams built on to the computer

Is it really so shocking, FM, when you consider the examples that have been set?

lets not try to compare global violations of invasions of privacy . This is a separate event and lets measure it on its own merits.

I think that you feel I was being glib. I wasn't, really. You might think that I was disagreeing that such behavior is reprehensible. I wasn't.

You don't think that "global invasion" type of example would invite others to believe that their plan had some inherent merit, that it was for the good of the child.

Yeah, while they were making private use of the computers at home. I understand you.

I can tell you, though, that this sort of "spying" on students' uses of school-owned computers happens all the time. Schools & "legalities" & all that. Students have had computer usage rights removed as a result. It's a can of worms, I tell you!

Its an issue clearly spelled out in the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. Should we just ignore that?

How would you feel about your kid bringing home a
"spy eye" that is taking pictures and tv of your living room, bed room, or kitchen. and whatever youre doing or dressed as at any time that the laptop is there?

I understand that some people get off on the prospect of being on public display. NOT me, I often sit at my laptop in my tutu.

I read one article only on the incidents. The school claims they were only doing this on laptops known to be stolen. True? I have no idea. Still, they clearly have the potential to do it whenever they please.

So far as privacy goes, i think that remains an issue even on school owned computers if they are snooping the webcams when the computer is legitimately at the students' homes.

That was a story the school district started to somehow quell the outrage that was beginning . All this was after some students were "counseled" by principals and guidance counselors for "Inappropriate actions" that could only have been discovered if the kids were being watched somehow) . The school district then stated that the computers were so outfitted to catch thefts . Im not sure they could remotely turn on and boot up the cameras to snap and report back. I was under the understanding that the computers were left on and the cameras were powered up. Some kids, actually taped up the phones and cameras so that the unit would be blinded.

The fact they have potential....is wrong. IMHO

I agree. I'm not at all sure why they might have been equipped with webcams in the first.

I would expect desktops located within the school to be open to inspection, though. Even then, I can't understand the installation of webcams.

Can we talk about this for a while? What color do you prefer? Mine has sequins on the arms, how about yours?

Sorry this was not the monitoring of computer use this was using the computer as a wiretap/spying device in the homes of the students and parents.

Not a can of worms at all but a highly illegal actions by school employees that can get them send to prison.

I don't know...I suppose it's possible in this day of technology to hold a class virtually, like conferencing into class or something, so it could have it's uses in business or communication.....

I think what really irks me the most is the gall it takes to purposely and 'actively' seek out a laptop connection to see what is there. Certainly that has to be a crime!!...?