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/