Should a school be allowed to spy on you if you steal their computer?

Some people on here are seriously misinformed.

The school owns those computers. Over the course of the year several were reported as stolen (around 42) the school turned on the webcams to help find them (cause Diplomacy IP address are set by DHCP, they're not static). Using that technique they recovered 12 of the computers. So obviously it works.

The computers are owned by the school, so the students shouldn't feel any sense of privacy with them anyway. They should be warned that the school has access to them, but they have no right to privacy. If they don't like it, don't accept the laptop, don't put it in your room, and don't do anything innapropriate on the computer.

Absolutely not!!

I read about this story a couple days ago. Anyone in their right mind would know that they were trying to use the laptop to see personal and private lives of high school students. Apparently, their excuse was said it was intended to locate the laptop if it was stolen. Thats bullcrap because if you place a piece of tape on the camera lens, how could you locate it? If its starring at a wall, how could you locate it? Thats bullcrap.

There are several software technologies anyone can use to locate a stolen laptop. The ip address or even a simple lo-jack tracking software. NOT a webcam. This was strictly to see the bedrooms of high school students. I'm glad they won the case because I'd be outraged!

The kid didn't steal that computer. It was issued to him. I don't know why they turned on the monitoring for that laptop but it all came out because the teacher thought the kid was selling drugs.

I can understand turning it on to find out who stole it if it was stolen but this isn't the case.

What I don't understand why Lower Merion School District issues laptops to their students to begin with. It's a very wealthy district and the parents can certainly afford to buy them for their kids. But one thing is for certain, now that the parents of that child are suing, it will put an end to the school loaning out laptops.

The laptops weren't stolen.

The students signed them out.

Even if the computers were retuned late, the school had enough information to know where they were without taking photos of teenagers doing what teenagers do when they're alone in their bedrooms (masturbating).

The school pulled a stupid move.

They should be sued.

And, further, since I recall some teenagers being charged with child-porn crimes for taking nude photos of themselves, the FBI should get involved and charge the school officials if they find anything like that in their files.

If they only activated the webcams on the missing pc's then I don't understand what the issue is.

Turns out they activated the webcams on ALL OF THEM. That is an invasion of privacy. If my laptop isn't missing, nobody should be using it to spy on me.

I think that if the computers are owned by the school, then there should be no problem with it!

pretty sure thats illegal..

help anyone?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApTYj...

YES DEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT

No, that's illegal.