Laptop Spying

What future will we as a society choose? A future based on free software, or one where high school students have to cover their webcams with tape?

If you're with us, here's the plan: Create a listing of all school systems that provide every student with a laptop that includes:

1. OS the laptops run
2. Any security or monitoring software that's included
3. Whether students are prohibited from using their own computers running free software
4. A list of any additionally nasty characteristics on the provided laptops (beyond simply including proprietary software) like locked out features or remote monitoring software.

Example:

Lower Merion School District

1. Mac OS X
2. LANRev
3. Students prohibited from using any other computer, or installing their own software on provided computers.
4. Administrators can take screenshots, take photos from webcam, browse files. Administrators allegedly used webcam photos they took in students' homes as a basis for disciplinary measures.

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation

1. Microsoft Windows XP
2. There is some for sure, working on finding out what it is
3. Students prohibited from using any other computer, or installing their own software on provided computers.
4. Administrators can take control of the laptop, and take screenshots. Students subject to laptop checks.
5. Evansville Indiana, United States of America
6. Website: http://www.evscschools.com/

School District 92 (Nisga'a)

1. iBooks and Macbooks on OS X Leopard
2. Apple Remote Desktop version 3
3. Group policy prevents installation of software that requires admin privileges, but students are not prohibited from installing applications, and can ask teachers to authenticate if required. F/OSS applications are encouraged, and mobile applications are not prohibited or restricted. Students (and staff) are permitted the use of personal devices after a brief examination by the IT dept. to ensure they are malware-free and have up-to-date anti-virus software. Laptops are only confiscated from students for egregious behaviour or willful damage.
4. Teachers and administration can use Remote Desktop to observe students' screens, but cannot interact other than to lock their screen if the student is off-task. Screenshots can be captured manually by the observer, but cannot be automatically taken. There is no spy software or other type of "theft-recovery" system in place. In addition, Remote Desktop access is limited to LAN use only; when student laptops are off-premises, they are not accessible to staff or administration. Students can purge local history for privacy of home surfing records (in the schools, all web traffic is recorded by the proxy server, for ALL connected devices). Use of laptops is not mandatory, and is subject to parental agreement to the Acceptable Use Policy (http://www.nisgaa.bc.ca/documents/aup.pdf). All users are subject to the same policy regardless of position (student, staff, faculty, or guest).
5. British Columbia
6. Website: http://www.nisgaa.bc.ca

University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)

1. ThinkPad T60, ThinkPad T61p, ThinkPad T500, ThinkPad R500
2. Windows
3. Cost of the laptop is included in your tuition. (so it costs more to goto UOIT) The laptop is "sold" for $1 upon graduation. Engineering / specialty software is removed when sold. You end up way over paying for an out-of-date laptop.
4. Personal laptops can plug into wired jacks, but only UOIT laptops can access wireless. Most class rooms only have <10 wired jacks, unless they are a lecture hall. Since the laptop is required for some classes, you are stuck with using the UOIT laptop, unless you get a seat near a wired jack.
5. Laptops are very slow due to bloat from anti-virus, Windows and UOIT extra software. It's an awful experience compared to using a MAC or Ubuntu Linux.
6. Oshawa Ontario, Canada
7. A facebook group to make the UOIT laptop optional http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=2234214540
8. Website: http://its.dc-uoit.ca/mobile/

Yuma Catholic High School

1. Compaq laptops running Windows
2. No idea, sorry.
3. I believe they are prohibited, but it's been a long time since I've been involved with the school.
4. Yuma Arizona, United States of America
5. Website: http://yumacatholic.org/index.asp