[Vision2020] More school laptop spy cam stupidity

[Ted Moffett]

Students in K-12 public schools do not have full adult civil rights, in
their lockers, for example, given what I have read on this issue regarding
current law on constitutional rights   A student's locker may be searched by
school authorities, with no legal protections.  And cameras for surveillance
are common and legal in public and private institutions in many cases, for
adults and minors.  We are on camera with video footage stored, often in
public on the streets, the bank, the grocery store, etc.  Smile!

But the surveillance in this case occurred in the homes of adults, students
parent's homes, homes ostensibly with full guarantee of civil rights under
the Bill of Rights of our constitution (or what's left of these rights,
after the Patriot "Unpatriotic" Act, justified by the "War on Terror," and
other erosion of civil rights to pursue the "War on Drugs").

The constitutional rights of the adult parents were thus violated if the
surveillance occurred in their homes, if not the students (who may be
minors) rights, it seems to me... Assuming we have any rights left...

Those under the age of 18 have limited legal rights in some cases.  Even
those over the age of 18 sometimes have legal limitations... Old enough to
die in war for your country, and vote, yet not old enough to
legally purchase a beer?  What is the logic?  If someone has the wisdom to
make a responsible decision in voting, perhaps the most important act of a
citizen in a "democracy," then does it not follow they have the wisdom to
make a responsible decision whether or not to purchase a beer?

Perhaps this illogical legal situation reveals an unconscious lack of
respect for the wisdom required to cast a responsible vote, given we regard
voting as requiring less maturity in age than the decision to purchase a
beer.
------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On 2/22/10, Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Here is an article that was posted on a news site I read:
>
> http://techdirt.com/articles/20100221/2118128243.shtml
>
> Apparently, the student is claiming that the "inappropriate behavior" he
> was allegedly engaged in was eating Mike & Ike candies.  The administrators
> presumably thought they were drugs, and hilarity ensued.
>
> Also, here is a blog that talks about the software allegedly on these
> laptops, some of the people involved, and so forth:
>
> http://strydehax.blogspot.com/2010/02/spy-at-harrington-high.html
>
> Some highlights:
>
> Students were complaining problems with the machines because the green
> light that indicated the camera was on would flash at odd times.  They were
> told it was a glitch and the student would be offered a replacement laptop.
>
> Students were forbidden to jailbreak their laptops, and could face serious
> trouble if they did so, including expulsion.
>
> Laptop use was mandatory for classes.
>
> Students using their personal laptops would get them confiscated if they
> were found.
>
> Laptop cameras could not be disabled (except by physically covering them
> over with tape).
>
> The software, if it thought it the laptop was stolen (which it would if it
> was outside of the "home" network), would take screenshots and pictures and
> upload them to their servers at regular intervals along with some other
> technical information like IP address.
>
> The computers, when used at student's home, would be outside of the "home"
> network, and would thus presumably send regular snapshots to their server.
>
> Unbelievable.  Nobody but Donovan would allow this in a sane world.
>
> It's my understanding that children (and we're talking high school students
> here) do actually have one or two basic rights.  Perhaps I'm wrong about
> that.
>
> Paul
>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20100222/6c48f664/attachment.html