American School Accused Of Spying On Students
A school in America has come under fire this week amid accusations that it has been using spy equipment to monitor the behaviour of some of its pupils.
Lower Merion School issued webcams to students for them to use at home. The webcams were apparently intended to assist pupils in their studies, but concerns were raised when the headmistress of the school confronted a student about behaviour he had been engaged in at home. The pupil in question was alarmed that the school were able to monitor what he did in his own house and alerted his parents who took the matter further.
The school has defended itself by claiming that the webcams feature a certain security measure that allows them to be activated remotely so that they can track laptops that have gone missing or have been stolen. They also said that the feature had since been removed.
The schoolβs claims did little to appease concerned families and students who reacted angrily to the fact that remote access effectively turned the webcams into surveillance equipment, allowing school officials to spy on members of the household without their knowledge. Students have since taken measures to disable the cameras which they fear could catch them undressed or engaged in any form of private activity.