School Accused of Cyberspying

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Administrators for the Lower Merion School District gave laptop computers to 2,300 students, each containing a remote-controlled webcam which allegedly allows spying on students at home.

One student's parents, Holly and Michael Robbins, have protested an incident of spying on their son, Blake, by filing a lawsuit in federal court.

"I don't feel that school has the right to put cameras inside the kids' home, inside their bedrooms and spy on children," Holly said.

The suit claims a Harriton High School official enabled the device, concerned the sophomore was "engaged in improper behavior in his home." An assistant principal later confronted the student, citing a photograph taken by the webcam as evidence.

"She thought I was selling drugs which is completely false," Blake said.

School administrators said they only used the remote webcam feature, now disabled, to track down stolen or missing laptops. Nevertheless, privacy advocates are outraged and it's reported that the FBI is investigating for possible wiretap violations.