I'm SHOCKED: My child says "Big Brother" to be monitoring her classroom via webcam,,,

reply to post by NightGypsy


Odd priorities, true.

But I hope you are equally incensed about Corporate Big Brother's cameras. You know, the ones at your ATM, in the mall, above your Big Box Store's doors, inside and out, in your bank, and generally, everywhere you and your children go.

reply to post by Kram09


Wake up and look around you observe the upper corners of walls, there are cameras everywhere now.

And yes there is now debating about putting cameras in the classroom.

Cisco Security has a large contract with some of the major college campuses right now.

Originally posted by CitizenNum287119327
After speaking to someone at your child's school, regardless of their explanation, you should go to the nearest Community Legal Aid (if you have that in US) for some advise on privacy laws.

It may not help, but at least you will know your legal rights and your rights regarding keeping your childs life secure and private.

I don't think there is much of a case for "right to privacy" in a public school.

this sounds like project bluebeam.
can your daughter take a picture of the setup in her classroom somehow?
I'd like to see if it's a web cam or actual tv. I bet it's a tv.

I wonder if technically speaking Big Brother has a right to do this kind of alleged surveillance via the Patriot Act, we did give up alot of Rights when this was enacted and Obama just extended it for another year.

reply to post by NightGypsy


I'm eager to hear what you find out. It's odd, because, as has been mentioned, there would be no need for a screen if it was for observation. That's why I think it may have been the teacher joking. And the use of the term 'big brother' by the teacher also sounds like teasing. If she wasn't teasing, she would have said "the school board" or something like that.

Of course it would be the government observing. It's a public school.

Should actually Go to the school before taking your child's word for it. Even though you love her as she is your creation, you should still go investigate it for yourself before spreading fear on a very paranoid web site.

I hope there is an update soon, or I really cannot comment.

The funny thing is we are all monitored. Thats why I find it entertaining when they are monitoring me. I give them only what I wish to give them. Not through the use of security and networking software-hardware but by content viewing, interaction with that content (blogs, posts, and forums etc), and surfing habits. .I control the study. They do not, though they would like to think so. However there is alot more detailed methodologies they use than what I have mentioned.

The researcher becomes the researched

The one conducting surveillance gets surveillanced
(They hate when they have to use technology and their target doesn't have to. Somewhat similar to remote viewing but better and they hate it)

They do disinfo cointelpro I do disinfo cointelpro better.

Just like clock work.as I hit the post button here my cell phone rings with (603) on the caller id. Thats all it displayed...lol

This is alot of fun..I'm having a blast

I think our ruling elite is a lot more scared by this depression than they let on. It's the worst economic situation since the 1930s and all kinds of extremism might break out of the Left and Right that they will no longer be able to manage.

The Tea Party wants to return to the small government of the 19th Century--or so they claim--but that's not what the elite interests want. Not at all, that like a big government that does things for them, while throwing a bone to the masses once in a while. They may be worried that if this depression gets worse they will no longer be able to manage the crazies any more.

So yes, I would expect more monitoring and social controls than ever before in this situation.

A lot of privacy concerns here, I don't understand, unless a lot of you are kids. Classroom privacy benefits no one, if it's not a public situation what the heck are the teachers doing in class that requires it. Having been a teacher for years I can tell you the biggest challenge to a kids education is the poor quality of teachers and the undisciplined and disruptive conduct of some of the kids. Back in my day corporal punishment was in the home and in the school and if you got it at school you'd probably get it again at home. The result being the kids had some respect or they had some fear but they were rarely disruptive. Now a days a teacher spends most of their time trying to get and keep the kids attention. I've been pushing for this for years and all I get is this irrational fear of being monitored. I do draw the line at remotely activating a kid's school supplied netbook's webcam. This is NOT the same thing, the flatscreen monitors in class are there to display the person monitoring. Then there's also the possibility to use the setup for school to school cultural exchanges and conferences. There's plenty of real serious issues to get paranoid about, don't waste your fear and trepidation on this stuff.

Originally posted by superluminal11


This is alot of fun..I'm having a blast

edit on 16-9-2010 by superluminal11 because: (no reason given)

So am I. I love spilling the beans whenever I can, especially when it looks like the wheels are starting to come off the whole system.

The other day, I had a couple of guys show up at the front door claiming to be looking for someone who supposedly lived at my address who I had never heard of--someone who had never lived there, in fact. Then they showed me a paper from the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" and said that's who was really looking for this person. What weirdness! They certainly didn't look like Mormons, either, but undercover guys of some kind.

We're living in strange times.

reply to post by NightGypsy


OP - there has been no update yet? How odd. I see that you were signed into the site not 40 minutes ago. Oh, I suppose it could be that the school has not returned a phone call (that would not be the first time) though one would think that if a parent were as concerned as you seem to be, a visit to the school would not be out of line... Ahem...

If there is one thing that is unacceptable is our children's private life
being monitored without parents' authorisation.

reply to post by Isaacland


How does this concept apply to the children attending a public school, during school hours?

reply to post by Blanca Rose


You cannot, at any freaking level of supervision or any level of safety and security measures, ELIMINATE stuff like that. Its impossible and freedoms die in vain in the process. Ultimately its a pattern that will end up with people accepting to live in padded cells just to be safe and secure. Where does it stop?

As others, anxiously awaiting OP's return post and followup.

Wondering if perhaps the teacher said "CCTV" (as in closed-circuit T.V.) and there was a mistranslation or misinterpretation somewhere.

Web cam intimidation of teachers or students is uncalled for in most circumstances.

There have been a few CCTV instances, for instance one which recorded a student being stabbed to death. But, there were oodles of witnesses, it was an open and shut case from the beginning, and I'm not sure how much extraneous and unlawfully obtained evidence is allowed in court.

The other case I read, they caught a naughty teacher. Now, that case, if he was a suspect for molesting his students, there would have already been a court-order giving permission to secretly tape the teacher. So again, CCTV wasn't that helpful anyway.

Webcams and CCTV in locker rooms and bathrooms is a heinous AND cruel and unusual punishment upon innocent people. Not to mention, it's purpose is suspect. Pervs! Pedos!

Innocent before proven guilty? Not in America!

Constitutional rights against 'unreasonable' search and seizure? Not in America!

500 Vans roaming the city streets with Airport X-Ray machines with pubic hair level accuracy spy cameras watching your kids? Now THAT is America!

Cameras can be installed anywhere! I have one in a button up shirt that records audio and video and will hold 4 hours of it @ 32 FPS. It's almost un noticable even by me. I also have cams in all of my smoke detectors and outside lights. They are all .05 lux so they can see without IR led's.

Even a dummy camera is a deterant.

However I don't agree with camreas in the classroom. It serves no real purpose other than to get them use to the coming police state.

reply to post by ofhumandescent

Wake up and look around you observe the upper corners of walls, there are cameras everywhere now. And yes there is now debating about putting cameras in the classroom. Cisco Security has a large contract with some of the major college campuses right now.

Hi, ofhumandescent. It's funny you posted the Cisco info because I have spoken with my daughter's principal and that name came up. Our conversation was very strange and I was left with a feeling of suspicion over the whole thing.

First off, I confirmed that these are NOT flat screen t.v.'s, they are monitors according to the principal. She says Cisco Corp. is the company installing the equipment, which will eventually go in every classroom in the district. This company is also working with the school district developing what she describes as "new technologies with a lot of different capabilities."

In answering my inquiry about what these capabilities will be, she appeared nervous. She stuttered and her answers were, for the most part vague.

She says the district was going to use the monitors to "relay important announcements and messages" to teachers in their classroom. In addition they are supposed to be used for viewing training sessions for the teachers so they don't have to travel off campus to attend seminars and training meetings. She again reiterated that there was "much more" that they were going to be capable of doing with the monitors, but when I asked her to site examples, she said, "I don't really know...I'm not a technical person." In addition, I asked her to site an example of an "important message" that might be sent to the classrooms over these monitors, given the fact the school already utilizes an intercom system in each classroom for this purpose. She changed the subject!

I told her my daughter's teacher had mentioned the these monitors were going to be used to observe the classroom via webcam, citing his "Big Brother is going to be watching us now and then" comment and how a pop up screen would show on the monitor when they were being observed. She said "Oh, no we won't be doing that." In fact, she said webcams were not involved . . . .

YET, ODDLY ENOUGH . . . there is a WEBCAM attached directly to the monitor which is clearly visible (this I did not know until after my conversation with her). Either she is not being truthful, or the full scope of these "capabilities" has yet to be divulged.

As for the comment by my daughter's teacher, her response was, "He must have misunderstood what the monitors are for." ???????????

How do you mistake training videos for teachers for "Big Brother monitoring the classroom via webcam?"

I'm trying to do some research into this Cisco Corp. to see what they're about and I will post my findings in a while.

In the meantime, the reason I am concerned about this situation is...

1.Students from other classrooms have also been led to believe by their teachers that these monitors are for surveillance purposes

2. The principal's demeanor gave me the impression there was more to the story than she was admitting.

3. Webcams are present on the monitors after the principal told me there were none.

4. It makes me wonder if they are, indeed, planning to surveil the classrooms, do they intend on keeping this fact from the parents?

5. I'm curious what the extent of these technologies will be and now they will effect my child

6. I find it strange that if one of the primary function of this monitor will be to allow a teacher to view training sessions and seminars, why purchase one for every single classroom given the state of the economy. When will the teachers be viewing these training sessions.....during class when they're supposed to be teaching? Why not purchase a couple of the monitors and place them somewhere where they can be used by all the teachers? Why do these "urgent messages " need to be played over a monitor as opposed to an intercom?

To me, the whole thing seems odd.

reply to post by TheOracle

You want to know why? To get our children and future generations get used to living in a surveillance society. Our children will grow up only understanding a society has to be monitored, it won't even bother them having big brother in their homes. Eventually all the 'paranoid' and 'has been' parents will be no more and TPTB will succeed in keeping the slaves under control.

Oracle, I agree. I also have read research about the negative psychological effects that occur out of living under conditions of constant video surveillance. I'll have to see if I can find it.