Pennsylvania School District Settles Webcams Spying Lawsuit For $610K

Remember the Pennsylvania school district that issued its students laptops and then remotely activated the machines' webcams to spy on its students in their homes? They've agreed to settle one student's lawsuit for $610,000.

The tracking software came to light when Robbins, a student at the high school, was allegedly called into the assistant principal's office and accused of taking drugs. The evidence was reportedly screen shots of Robbins from the school-issued laptop that appeared to show him taking pills. Robbins said he was actually eating candy. His parents filed suit against the school district in February. Several months later, Hassan was informed that the software on his computer had also been activated, capturing 469 pictures from the webcam and 543 screen shots over the course of several months. Since he was 18, Hassan then filed his own lawsuit. The $610,000 deal includes $10,000 for Hassan and a $175,000 payout that will be placed in a trust for Robbins. The district will also pay $425,000 in legal fees.

No charges were filed against the school district after prosecutors concluded there had been no "criminal intent."

(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)