Last year in the Philly suburb of Lower Merion, there was a
controversy involving laptops and webcams. The school district issued laptops to their students and were secretly using the webcams on the computers to spy on their students while in school and at home. The district claims that the use of the webcams were strictly for security purposes and as an anti-theft tool. This caused such controversy because it was a serious invasion of privacy. The district used the webcam to snap photos of kids smoking weed and accused one student of popping pills even though he was actually eating Mike & Ikes.
When does the use of technology go too far??
The main kid that sued the school recently signed a settlement, awarding him $175,000 due to the school's invasion of his privacy.
I think that case is a perfect example of privacy invasion. Webcams aren't blogs or facebooks; they are restricted to one's own personal computer. To actually wire computers so the school can spy on students without telling students is a severe breach of their privacy and well being. They had no right to charge students purely based on what they saw via webcam. I'm shocked that the school did not get charged. They probably would have kept on spying on their students had not the parents taken action against them.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. IMO, this was a disgusting breach of privacy. However, it makes me think of the many ways parents/adults can use technology to track children (or even to just structure their consumption). I'm just wondering what your opinions on surveillance are, in this day and age...This is *obviously* a case of going too far, but when do things go too far? When, if ever, is it appropriate to use technology for the surveillance of young people?
ReplyDeleteThe school thing is pretty ridiculous. But in terms of your own children, I don't think I've decided how much surveillance I think is appropriate.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about my own youth, I would be absolutely disgusted with my parents had they spied on me in any way whatsoever. I didn't get a cell phone until I was 17 years old and for the years before, I wasn't sitting directly in their eyesight the entire time. This seems very normal from a child's perspective but then I think about having my own kids one day. With all the crazy things that happen in the world, I can't imagine just trusting that my child would be safe if I dropped her off at the mall the way I was dropped off for most Fridays of my middle school life.
I guess it all comes down to trusting ourselves, kids, and others. When any piece of technology comes out that might help keep our lives in check, we utilize it. You don't trust yourself to keep diligent track of your phone numbers, so you rely on your cell phone's contact list. Why not utilize a tracking device on your kid because you don't trust the creepo on the sidewalk when you drop him off?
I don't really agree with what I'm saying, I'm just trying to see it from all angles and see what you guys might think.
My school used to play these guys in sports and we were introduced to laptops as well. My grade didn't have them though. I think that using the cameras is a step too far in peoples privacy. The school can monitor the sites visited on the computers, this should be enough. Who knows what they could have seen while they were spying on kids looking for drugs. Whats to say they werent using it to watch the kids get undressed or something?! This just creeps me out.
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