Lawsuit Accuses Pa. School District of Spying

The Lower Merion School District of Ardmore, Pa. is facing a lawsuit that alleges spying on students and families by activating webcams on school-provided laptops, according to Computerworld.

Michael and Holly Robbins claim they first found out about the alleged spying at the end of last year after their son was accused of "improper behavior in his home" and shown a photograph taken by his laptop.

For its part, the school district denies spying on students, but does admit the cameras could be turned on without the user's knowledge as part of a security feature.

The suit accuses the school district of violating the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, as well as other federal and state statues. The family is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and they want the court to issue an injunction preventing the district from activating students' laptop cameras.