When Technology and Stupidity Meet

I’m going to take this in a slightly different direction, though I have to say the direction that it went in the Green Room (Update: now promoted to Hot Air) was a fine one.  I’m a fan of Madison, and conservatives there are always high on my list…  Original story at Fox News.

The school webcam spy case continues to spark questions about student security and school administrators’ rights in Philadelphia. Last week, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the Lower Merion School District, its board of directors and the superintendent for allegedly violating the privacy of a 15-year-old student at Harriton High School by remotely activating the webcam inside a school-issued laptop computer. Now, the FBI has reportedly opened an investigation into the case to see if there were any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws that were violated.

Um, WTHeck?  Apparently the school gave some students laptops and then remotely activated the cameras.  Then they actually did something really stupid, like, let the students know they had activated the cameras.

I like this:

“It is not legal for anybody, the government, the police, or the school district, without some sort of warrant or some kind of invitation to come into your home and record what you are doing, or what you are saying,” said Mark Haltzman, the Robbins’ attorney.

The LMSD issued a statement Friday to parents and students, stating that the webcams have been deactivated while a thorough review of the case — and policy — moves forward.

Wait, the period in that last sentence is about 11 words too late.

Seriously… when you hand technology (remote management of systems, including resource utilization) to someone who’s not that bright… you get this.  I could see some Chinese hacker trying this one, but really, a school administrator.  I’m sure there was a logical and maybe even reasonable-on-the-surface reason to do this.  Okay, I’m not SURE, but I’m trying to salvage this one.  Madison Conservative:

This poor kid is being harassed and accused of criminal activity, but we all know situations that potentially could be far worse. Suppose cameras were turned on when students were getting dressed, or were just out of the shower. Suppose they were on when students were doing one of the many activities that becomes common during puberty.

Suppose the school district admins were silly enough to actually let out that they were doing this.  That would create a massive back-lash.  But this is what you get with technology.  It’s a powerful tool, and it can be used for good, for evil, and (apparently) for stupid.  Let’s drift towards the former, people.