The webcam spy case against the Lower Marion School District (LMSD) in Pennsylvania has taken a few twists recently. According to several reports, including statements from LMSD, 56,000 images were taken by the district’s security software, capturing students in their homes.
School district says 56,000 photos and screenshots taken of students. Image: myriad ways/Flickr.
LMSD used LANrev to track stolen laptops, a security feature implemented when the district allowed students to use the equipment away from class for educational purposes.
However, earlier this year, one student, Blake Robbins, found himself in a bit of hot water based on images taken with his school-issued laptop. The problem was two fold. First, the discipline issues were mistaken, as he was popping Mike & Ike candy an not pills, and second, neither he nor his parents knew about the security software before it was allowed in their home. As a result, Blake’s parents sued the district.
In February, LMSD issued a statement that they regretted the fact the security software was never mentioned to students and parents. “…there was no explicit notification that the laptop contained the security software. This notice should have been given and we regret that was not done.”
The software is activated when a student reports the laptop missing. LMSD has said that there were fewer than 50 activations of the software, and that only two people had access to the security software. When activated, according to the district’s explanation, the security software will capture photos (one photo every 15 minutes until disabled), IP address information, and a screenshot of the desktop.
However, new information shows that the software was activated close to 80 times, and that nearly 56,000 images were taken. According to recent court documents, the count for Robbins alone is 400 pictures and screenshots, which include images of the child partially dressed, sleeping, images of his family, and screenshots of the desktop that detail IM conversations with friends.
On Monday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on information that was provided by a lawyer involved in LMSD's internal review. In their report, they noted that LMSD failed to deactivate the security software 5 times after it was used to locate a laptop, resulting in 13,000 images from the built-in camera. In 15 cases, there is no clear explanation as to why the software was activated to begin with.
LMSD said that Robbins was being monitored with LANrev because his parents did not pay the $55.00 USD insurance fee, so he was not authorized to take the laptop home.
“In addition, discovery to date has now revealed that thousands of webcam pictures and screenshots have been taken of numerous other students in their homes, many of which never reported their laptops lost or missing,” wrote the Robbins’ attorney in a motion to sanction one district employee for failure to comply.
In addition to not paying insurance, examples of instances where the software was activated include mistaken identity, as a student with a similar name to one who reported their laptop missing was photographed in their home, and other instances where if a student did not return the laptop at the end of the school year, the software was activated.
This information came from the motion to sanction Carol Cafiero, one of the two district employees with access to the security software, for refusing to turn her personal computer over for investigation. During her deposition to Robbins’s lawyers, she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer questions as not to self-incriminate. One of the questions asked of her was whether she had downloaded “…pictures to her own computer, including pictures of students who were naked while in their home,” the motion notes.
According to an email she sent to a co-worker, cited by Robbins’ attorney, when told that the images and screenshots from the students’ laptops were like a soap opera, Cafiero said, “I know. I love it!”
After that motion was filed on the 15th, LMSD issued a statement that said, “A Motion filed yesterday by the plaintiffs ostensibly was against Carol Cafiero, but instead appears to be a vehicle to attack the District. We do not feel it is appropriate for anyone other than the investigators to dictate the timing of the investigation and the release of complete findings.”
“While we deeply regret the mistakes and misguided actions that have led us to this situation, at this late stage of the investigation we are not aware of any evidence that District employees used any LANrev webcam photographs or screenshots for such inappropriate purposes.”
The suit is seeking class-action status so that it can represent the 2,300 high school students in the district.
The district is looking for a resolution before it comes to this, and promises to remain open.
“As you know, our outside counsel and a computer forensic/computer security expert have been investigating the circumstances surrounding the use of the LANrev "tracking" feature. They will provide us their findings in the next few weeks and we will release them to you,” David Ebby, President of the LMSD Board of School Directors, said in a statement.
“To the extent there is any evidence of inappropriate conduct, it will be disclosed in the findings of the current investigations. We are committed to disclosing fully what happened, correcting our mistakes, and making sure that they do not happen again.”
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