In a Yahoo/AP news report from early February ('10), federal authorities are investigating a Pennsylvania school district accused of secretly switching on laptop computer webcams inside students' homes. The school district has acknowledged remotely activating webcams 42 times in the last 14 months, but contends it was only to "find missing student laptops." A student has filed a federal lawsuit alleging invasion of privacy. Exactly what happened is still unclear -- each side has its own version of what did or did not happen. One thing is clear: parents were not informed in the permission forms they signed for the computers that this "remote activation" was possible.
One line in the story makes our point clearly: "The Pennsylvania case show how even well-intentioned plans can go awry if officials fail to understand the technology and its potential consequences (emphasis added)."
Comment: I cannot guarantee that the use of an Implications Wheel process would have revealed this as a possibility -- but I'm betting it would!
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