Sankaku Complex Forums » General

1. 

   Schrobby
   

   Remember the german lolicon who recently got arrested for using webcams to watch schoolgirls? He should've moved to the USA.

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   Federal prosecutors are showing uncommon sympathy for some Pennsylvania school officials who spied on students via webcams in their school-owned laptop computers: They've decided not to prosecute.

   The reason? "For the government to prosecute a criminal case, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged acted with criminal intent," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement. "We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent."

   Let's leave aside the fact that people are charged all the time for criminal offenses despite having no idea they're committing crimes. And since when did ignorance of the law confer immunity?

   Let's focus instead on the fundamental creepiness in what happened at the Lower Merion School District in suburban Philadelphia. A lot of the facts and fuller context in this privacy debacle remain murky. Let's hope that the discovery process in the several civil suits results in a more complete disclosure, but we do know this:

   The district loaned laptop computers to students and then, under a program the district said was aimed at recovering lost or stolen machines, used spyware to capture tens of thousands of images of kids. Some of those images, it emerged in civil suits filed against the officials, were taken in students' homes -- and some of those in their bedrooms. Oh, just a terrible mistake, said the district.

   Some 38,000 images from six computers alone, not to mention video chats and IMs in at least one case? If this is an oversight, a mere mistake, yike. But if so, the people who were that sloppy shouldn't be trusted to teach elementary arithmetic or anything else.

   Source: http://www.salon.com/technology/dan_gillmor/2010/08/18/feds_ok_school_spying/index.html

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
2. 

   flood
   

   Federal authorities should just stop giving excuses and confess their love for lolis.

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
3. 

   owi2000
   

   Schrobby said:
   The reason? "For the government to prosecute a criminal case, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged acted with criminal intent," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement. "We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent."

   Let's leave aside the fact that people are charged all the time for criminal offenses despite having no idea they're committing crimes. And since when did ignorance of the law confer immunity?

   You're exactly right here. I can't see this as anything other than a miscarriage of justice. If I was one of the families involved, I'd be pushing for a civil suit if they won't prosecute criminally. For a civil suit, they don't need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, they just need to prove by a 'perponderance of the evidence', in other words, 'more likely than not'.

   It wouldn't send anyone behind bars, but at least a clear message would be sent. That's a serious invasion of privacy, to say nothing of any indecent pictures that may have been recorded.

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
4. 

   Myballz
   

   owi2000 said:

   You're exactly right here. I can't see this as anything other than a miscarriage of justice. If I was one of the families involved, I'd be pushing for a civil suit if they won't prosecute criminally. For a civil suit, they don't need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, they just need to prove by a 'perponderance of the evidence', in other words, 'more likely than not'.

   It wouldn't send anyone behind bars, but at least a clear message would be sent. That's a serious invasion of privacy, to say nothing of any indecent pictures that may have been recorded.

   If they are using Patriot Act as an excuse to say these naked little girl's on webcam is possible terrorist I would be laughing saying Bull shit.

   Whatever FBI was doing they better make a good excuse....

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
5. 

   Dark Mage
   

   owi2000 said:

   You're exactly right here. I can't see this as anything other than a miscarriage of justice. If I was one of the families involved, I'd be pushing for a civil suit if they won't prosecute criminally. For a civil suit, they don't need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, they just need to prove by a 'perponderance of the evidence', in other words, 'more likely than not'.

   It wouldn't send anyone behind bars, but at least a clear message would be sent. That's a serious invasion of privacy, to say nothing of any indecent pictures that may have been recorded.

   Same here I'd still sue the pants off them I'd also pull my kids out of that school and send them to a private school.

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
6. 

   Pacpon
   

   I remember seeing a segment on T.V about this not too long ago!

   They said that they didn't want the students using the laptops for anything other than school. The principal would spend the day in his office logging on to student's computers and kicking them off websites that weren't relevant to the class.

   Either way, little kids + webcam + adults spying = A CREEPY NO NO

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
7. 

   Pyrolight
   

   Schrobby said:

   The reason? "For the government to prosecute a criminal case, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged acted with criminal intent," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement. "We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent."

   Let's leave aside the fact that people are charged all the time for criminal offenses despite having no idea they're committing crimes. And since when did ignorance of the law confer immunity?

   Ignorance of the law =/= criminal intent. Ignorance of the law is not even a factor here. All that matters is whether they intended to use the images for illicit purposes (thus making it a crime). The use of the cameras itself is likely a grey area in the legal sense.

   Creepy yes, illegal not necessarily.

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
8. 

   Schrobby
   

   They saved X0000 pics for what purpose? ^_^

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
9. 

   owi2000
   

   Pyrolight said:

   Ignorance of the law =/= criminal intent. Ignorance of the law is not even a factor here. All that matters is whether they intended to use the images for illicit purposes (thus making it a crime). The use of the cameras itself is likely a grey area in the legal sense.

   That's not entirely true actually, since some of the images were taken at the residences of the students. Unless the parents signed consent gave their consent to the school to take images there, it is a gross invasion of privacy (at the very least). The school has absolutely no business knowing what goes on at the students home, unless there is reason to believe that the student is being abused there.

   And ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law, ever. For example, it doesn't matter what you think the age of consent in an area is, if you violate it and daddy finds out, you're gonna be nailed. "I didn't know" is never a valid defense.

   Posted 5 years ago # Quote
10. 

    brningpyre
    

    Gross invasion of privacy or not, if the students signed off on the laptops to borrow them (as you most often do when borrowing stuff from your school), then the school is free to monitor the use of their property.

    Hence why they stated "We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent." If the cameras were only used for a legal purpose, then there is nothing illegal about them (this should be obvious, but apparently not).

    About the number of pictures, and where they were taken: if they were set to take pictures at certain intervals, than 38000 over all the machines the district lent out is nothing out of the ordinary. And if it was automatic, then that explains where the pictures were taken as well.

    Using your computer (borrowed, in this case) in your own home or bedroom is pretty normal, you know.

    Posted 5 years ago # Quote

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