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School District Sued for Spying on Students with Webcam

Pennsylvania parents have sued the Lower Merion School District, claiming the district gave students laptops, then used the laptop's webcam to reprimand their son for improper behavior at home. Michael and Holly Robbins are seeking damages, contending the district was "spying" on students and their families. A school district gives each of its high-school students a laptop, and then your child is reprimanded for improper behavior in his  home -- as seen by the school over the laptop's web camera. A Pennsylvania couple contends this happened to their son, and they have filed a class-action lawsuit against the school district.
The Lower Merion School District says it has now deactivated a tracking device on the laptops, promising it would not be reinstated without permission from the students and their families.

'Spying' on Students

In the lawsuit, Michael and Holly Robbins sought damages against the district for invasion of privacy, theft of private information , and "unlawful interception and access" of electronic communications  in violation of various federal statues, state laws, and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

They claim that, without their knowledge or authorization, the district was "spying" on students and their families through the "indiscriminate remote activation of the webcams incorporated into each laptop." There are about 1,800 high-school students in the district, each of whom received a laptop.

The Robbins said they first learned of the remote monitoring capability on Nov. 11 when an assistant principal at one of the district's two high schools told their son that he was "engaged in improper behavior in his home," according to the lawsuit, and the evidence was a photograph from the webcam in his laptop. According to their suit, the father then verified with the assistant principal that the district can remotely activate and view through the webcam.

The district contends the remote capability was an antitheft measure, and the webcam was turned on only if a laptop was believed to be stolen or missing. According to news reports, many teachers were aware of the remote capability and commonly turned the laptops to a wall when not in use to avoid being photographed.

'Always' Committed to Privacy

District spokesperson Doug Young told a local newspaper that "we can categorically state that we have always been committed to protecting the privacy of our students."

Brad Shimmin, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said that, if the Robbins' story is accurate, "it would appear to be an invasion of privacy on private property." He added that most people's "expectation is that there is a guarantee of privacy inside your own home" unless there is a legal waiver.

He compared this to the kind of surveillance that is not uncommon when a company issues a laptop or phone to an employee. Even in that case, he said, where there is an employer-employee relationship rather than a high school-student one, employees generally have to sign a waiver or acknowledgment of some sort.

Even "when you're in an Internet café," Shimmin said, "you usually have to acknowledge that anything you do will be stored and tracked."