Anyone know yet if the picture in question is a screen shot of the laptops activity, or if its a actual picture taken from the web cam of the user? I could see allowing screen shots of what the user is doing on the computer regardless of where the user is physically located, but if these school officials took a picture of the user without informing parents ahead of time that they could and would, a whole bunch of people need to go directly over jail on this one.
Don't leave it on when undressing or enjoying the vices of RedTube or having a naughty chat with your quarterback boyfriend or cheerleader girlfriend.
I agree with 95% of that statement, no watching porn on school supplied laptops, do that crap on daddy's computer and no naughty internet video chats, but don't leave it on when undressing?
Ummm . . . who here suspects there computer of spying on them? I don't the damn thing sits in the middle of my room with a good view of just about everything. It is NOT reasonable to suspect, oh my district network admin might be looking at me, better turn off the computer. That's just ridiculous. If the student is doing nothing that violates the schools user agreement, there should be no need to turn on that webcam, unless the laptop is reported as stolen, or if the user agreement plainly states that the surveillance software can be turned on at anytime even in your own home, just because the principal is a nosey bastard.
But I'm pretty sure the user agreement didn't state that or else this would have probably made the news months ago and some parents surly would have turned down these Orwellian snooping machines.
This would be akin to an employer turning on the mic in work issued cell phones to listen to employees in there homes while off the clock. Nope illegal! Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.