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Webcam Lawsuit Parties Ordered To Meet
Judge Wants Parties To Settle Non-Monetary Issues
LOWER MERION, Pa. - A federal court judge is ordering the Lower Merion School District and a student suing for alleged cyber-spying over district-issued laptops to try to settle non-monetary issues.
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The order issued Friday says attorneys for the district and the family of sophomore Blake Robbins, as well as intervenors like the American Civil Liberties Union, must meet in an effort to reach agreement on "additional equitable relief."
The order goes on to say that the district has to permanently turn off the tracking software intended to help find missing or stolen computers. A cost-effective alternative can be sought, but the court says that software must not allow remote activation or capturing screenshots of students.
The district gets until Sept. 1 to create a policy to deal more adequately with privacy issues, and Lower Merion schools will not be allowed to access student-created files ("including but not limited to documents, e-mails, instant messaging records, photographs, Internet usage logs, and Web browsing histories") except what's defined under its new policy.
Included in the policy must be a provision for students who are not issued laptops because they chose not to sign the consent form.
Of the 56,000 webcam and screenshot images turned up during the investigation, those must be turned over only to the students who possessed the laptops for review pursuant to a process still being developed. At a later time the images will all be destroyed.
Local attorney Amy Feldman will join the Fox 29 News at 6 p.m. to further discuss the order and what it means for taxpayers.