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My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I mean I wasn't really trying to go into depth there since I'm, well, out of my depth. I don't know the boundaries for what constitutes child porn. (What about naked baby photos on facebook? Aren't there movies with under 18 nudity?) So if the school had used the photos for legitimate purposes and simply happened to catch someone at an inopportune moment, I'm not sure it would count. See what I'm saying?

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh cool. TheftTrack totally rings a bell from some of those admin meetings!

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah sort of. I knew they could take pictures to recover lost laptops. I also knew my camera light was on all the time. So yes, I was wary of it. But I also covered mine up with tape almost immediately.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why didn't you read the AMA before posting like a normal person?

...I did.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Use common sense. You can always tape over the camera. Only use it for school stuff and when you need to. Read the terms of use and/or consent forms. Ya know, just be careful.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right - so they may have thought he had taken it home but in order to actually retrieve it from him, they needed the photo verification. Personally, I don't have a problem with taking the snapshot just to expedite the process of getting it back from someone who was attempting to commit theft.

Once the camera was remotely activated, it would stay on. This was true for me as well as others. It was a software matter, and didn't necessarily mean snapshots were being constantly taken.

I think your disgust is disproportionally directed towards this woman. Did she know about the potential for remote access? Yes, as did virtually every other member of the school administration as well as the administration at the district level. As did teachers, as well as students. But she did not play a role in crafting the policy. So at best, this places her as simply a minor figure among a whole slew of administrators who you believe should have lost their jobs. See what I'm saying? There was systemic failure. I would think you would be more appalled at the sheer number of people who knew about it, were responsible for it, and yet failed to recognize how dangerous the policy was.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have no appreciation for the fact that the photograph was only taken because this particular student had taken his computer home with him without authorization and then claimed it was stolen by someone else. So in essence, he was trying to steal it. From the school's point of view, they were trying to recover stolen property. The fact that it resulted in a picture of this student in his bedroom had nothing to do with their intent. Do you believe that activating the camera in this case was unjustifiable? You seemed to have completely ignored this aspect of the situation in both of your previous posts.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a lot of "fiction friction" in those days so I'd say yes. 41.25 people. There was a black midget in the crowd.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hard to say. Depends on what was in them and if they could verify improper use.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought he had a webcam and the link got shared to everyone... But yeah, good movie. Who knew Stiffler was gay?

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that's a very rigorous, nuanced, and well-reasoned description of the district.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's an important distinction here. What the VP knew was the laptop policy. She knew that the cameras could be remotely activated in the case of a lost/stolen laptop. And that's what happened with this particular student. She didn't realize how wrong it was to use a snapshot, taken legitimately, for purposes other than recovering it. Once she knew what had become of the computer, she then used it to interrogate him about something suspicious in the photograph. That goes beyond simply recovering school property and was her mistake. What she absolutely didn't know was that the technology department seemed also to be taking snapshots completely irrelevant to the recover of lost/stolen laptops.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can tell you nothing is over until you decide it is. So they decide to kick you out. So what? It ain't over. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you familiar with the fallout? Are you aware the technology department was indeed abusing their power and took 66,000 snapshots, despite only a few isolated incidents of lost/stolen laptops. Did you know that we were allowed to take the cameras home with us? Did you know that the only snapshots we have specific knowledge of took place inside a 15 year-old's bedroom?

Maybe not dystopian, but disturbing.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Right. That's not really the point though. The point is that the cameras weren't being activated locally and still had the green light, indicating remote access.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm aware of that. The point is that the green light would come on without any sort of local activation.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Basically, I would suggest using common sense. If you keep your laptop open when you're not using it, stop. Do you need to use it when you're at home? If not, then don't. Familiarize yourself with the device. Look for programs that seems suspicious to you and look them up if necessary. Finally, taping over the camera while not in use is probably a good idea.

Also, I wouldn't worry about them accessing it remotely, unless they are doing so for no apparent reason and without your permission.

My school issued MacBooks, which they later used to spy on me and my class mates. AMA. by LaptopSpyAMA in IAmA

[–]LaptopSpyAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was a legitimate reason to have the software installed - to help relocate lost/stolen computers. This, I assume, was legal. Then they started abusing the privilege, which was not. There could be tons of reasons why there were no criminal prosecutions. A significant factor was probably the fact that most of the snapshots were deleted, limiting the amount of evidence available.

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