FBI probes high school webcam spying incident

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now investigating whether Harriton High School broke any federal wiretap laws in which software was installed and activated to spy on a student at home. The Lower Merion School District (LMSD), of which Harriton High School is part, has also told the Associated Press that the webcams on the school-issued laptops were activated over 42 times since they were issued.

LMSD stressed however, that the ability to remotely activate the webcams was meant solely for the purpose of tracking lost or stolen machines. While students appear to be aware that the webcam can be remotely activated, parents were unfortunately left in the dark. LMSD spokesman Doug Young admitted that the school district committed a "significant mistake." He told the Inquirer, "There was no specific notification given that described the security feature. That notice should have been given, and we regret not giving it."

In the meantime, what of the "improper behavior" by the student that catapulted the case into the limelight? On video, the attorney hired by the parents claimed that the school "caught" Robbins with candies and mistook them for pills.

Trend Micro education director David Perry sums up the tricky situation involving webcams: "...when you hook something like a webcam up to your system, making it secure is your responsibility. By default, it's insecure."

Anyone got black tape to spare?

For more on this story:
- check out this article at CNET News
- check out this article at Ars Technica

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