Today we take a look at the issue of surveillance of students in and by schools – Three areas of surveillance – In school – Physical and network surveillance – Online – Surveillance of social media activity – At home – Surveillance through school-issued equipment – What information is being collected and what is being done with it? – Center for Democracy and Technology study: – 86% of teachers reported that schools provided equipment to students, twice the pre-pandemic rate – 80% of teachers and 77% of students said that the schools used surveillance software – The more the devices were used, the more surveillance occurred – Disparate economic impact – Economically disadvantaged students more likely to need school provided equipment and thus be subject to more constant and intrusive surveillance – Varying degrees of transparency – Justifications – Are students paying attention? – Some systems allow teachers to view all the tabs opened by students – Are students accessing inappropriate content, either during class or outside of it? – Are students misbehaving (cyberbullying, etc.)? – Are students showing signs of mental illness or self-harm (depress, suicidal ideation, etc.)? – The pandemic has had a measurable impact on the mental health of children – Protection of school equipment – The Technology – Different installation protocols – Standalone software – Browser extensions – Raises specter of monitoring of private devices if browser is set to sync extensions – Real-time monitoring of web activity, emails, etc. by AI or human moderators – A growing number of software platforms – Bark – Gnosis IQ – Gaggle – GoGuardian – Lightspeed – Securly Classroom – Real-time access of web cams – Online classes – Private time – Educators Misconduct – Lurking or snooping on social media accounts – Web cam voyeurism – Implications – Training students to view surveillance by employers and governments as “normal” – Legal Issues – Invasion of Privacy and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress – Federal and state wiretapping laws – Child Online Privacy Protection Act – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – Resources – #2021–10–11 US schools gave kids laptops during the pandemic. Then they spied on them https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/11/us-students-digital-surveillance-schools – #2021–10–07 Borrowed a School Laptop? Mind Your Open Tabs https://www.wired.com/story/borrowed-school-laptop-mind-open-tabs/ – #2021–10–04 Democratic Lawmakers Demand Student Surveillance Companies Outline Business Practices, Warn the Security Tools May Compound ‘Risk of Harm for Students’ https://www.the74million.org/article/democratic-lawmakers-demand-student-surveillance-companies-outline-business-practices-warn-the-security-tools-may-compound-risk-of-harm-for-students/ – #2021–09–22 New Research Probes Surveillance of Students’ Online Activities https://www.govtech.com/security/new-research-probes-surveillance-of-students-online-activities – #2021–04–02 Teachers Are Watching Students’ Screens During Remote Learning. Is That Invasion of Privacy? https://www.edweek.org/technology/are-remote-classroom-management-tools-that-let-teachers-see-students-computer-screens-intrusive/2021/04 – #2019–12–05 Is Your School Spying on Your Child via Webcams? https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/is-your-school-spying-on-your-child-via-webcams – #2019–12–04 How To Know If Your School-Issued Laptop Has Spyware Installed https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/how-to-know-if-your-school-issued-laptop-has-spyware-installed/ – #2010–10–21 $610K Settlement in School Webcam Spy Case https://www.cbsnews.com/news/610k-settlement-in-school-webcam-spy-case/