School used student laptop webcams to spy on them at school and home

According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools' administrators, who have used this facility to spy on students and even their families. The issue came to light when the Robbins's child was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" and the Vice Principal used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence. The suit is a class action, brought on behalf of all students issued with these machines.

BoingBoing

It's not that the government wants to protect children, it's that they want control of the net so that they can control us.

Chinese schools ditch controversial web filter

Schools in Beijing are quietly removing the Green Dam filter, which was required for all school computers in July, due to complaints over problems with the software.

China last month formally backed down on a plan to preinstall the internet filter software on all new computers sold in the country after July 1 after an international and domestic outcry.

SMH article:

Senator Conroy.

Even the Chinese are finding the filtering idea unpalatable, and yet you persist.