Surveillance

Brickbat: This Girl's an Open Book

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Officials with the Orange County, Florida, school system have announced they are monitoring the social media accounts of students and staff. The announcement came two weeks after the actual monitoring began.

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Charles Oliver is a contributing editor at Reason.

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  1. Brickbat: This Girl’s an Open Book

    Is that supposed to be a Police lyric? ‘Cause this is the internet age.

    “This girl’s an open page
    Book marking – she’s so close now
    This girl is half his age”

    1. pan fried wylie

      Brickbat: This Girl’s an Open Book

      …but you dont know which page to turn to. Do You?

      1. That’s why you pay them – then you don’t have to worry about that.

  2. In one case, a student made suicidal threats on social media that the software was able to pick up. Law enforcement was notified, and officials were able to get in contact with the student’s family.

    Of course, the student was shot by the responding law enforcement professionals, but what can you do? Furtive movements.

  3. Steve G

    I’m no Steve Gates Wozniak or anything, but can’t the students just adjust their accounts to be only viable to ‘friends’?

    1. But then how will that cute stranger from another town know to send them a friend request out of the blue with no prior contact whatsoever.

      1. Steve G

        A visible-to-strangers cover picture, duh!

    2. WTF

      Yup. Not sure why people aren’t more careful about things.

    3. Don’t sell yourself short, Judge. You’re a tremendous slouch.

  4. Steve G

    The software has been deployed for two weeks. The district said it has already prevented incidents.

    “This is a tool that gives the district intelligence into a situation that could possibly prevent something more serious from happening,” said Doug Tripp, Orange County Public Schools’ senior director of safety and security.

    Two weeks and it’s already been more successful than 15 yrs of Patriot Act? Um, color me skeptical.

  5. straffinrun

    “Whether somebody is expressing that they are depressed, unhappy sad ? those are important terms that we’ll be monitoring,” Tripp said.

    I can think of a few terms more important.

    1. Charles Easterly

      “The company will assist district law enforcement and security personnel in monitoring publicly available social media communications that are relevant to school operations and personnel.”

      What possibly could go wrong?
      I see that the Fist of Etiquette has already answered this question.

      1. straffinrun

        Should schools be teaching useful stuff like never assist law enforcement?

        1. Charles Easterly

          They could do that, straffinrun, after they stop spying and informing on people, teaching revisionist history and a distorted interpretation of the Bill of Rights, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence, and generally misinforming and practically indoctrinating future generations.

          1. WTF

            Strike the “practically” and you are spot-on.

  6. Libertarian

    So the schools’ charter has been expanded to include 24 hr protection of children? And they’re coordinating with cops? This is what “public schools” are for?

    I’d be interested in knowing if home-schooled children are also monitored.

    1. Home-schooled children are extremely monitored.

      CPS will be along to do in-house visits shortly.

  7. Florida Man

    Damn! Missed HT opportunity. My wife works for OCPS and told me about this 2 days ago. Evidently just set your profile to private and you’re good.

  8. I wonder if the district has considered its potential liability if, while ‘monitoring’ someone does harm themselves or others?

    Look at it this way – if you’re lie injured in the street and I walk on by, no legal liability can be attached to me. I simply have no duty to provide even a minimal level of care.

    But if I intervene to help, then I can be held liable for injuries caused by my helping – its why ‘good samaritan’ laws had to be created in the first place.

    Similar thing with sidewalks – if your municipality does not impose an obligation to shovel snow off the sidewalk then if someone is injured by a slip and fall on ice in front of your house can do nothing to you. But if you clear the sidewalk then you can be held responsible for meeting a minimum level of competence.

    So, you’re ‘monitoring’ social media and some kid kills himself – now the district is facing lawsuits for not doing *enough* monitoring.

    1. Libertarian

      “I wonder if the district has considered its potential liability if, while ‘monitoring’ someone does harm themselves or others?”

      These are government administrators — I’m sure they’ve looked at every possible angle, debated every contingency, and after months of discussion, decided there was no reason not to press forward.

    2. Libertarian

      “Similar thing with sidewalks – if your municipality does not impose an obligation to shovel snow off the sidewalk then if someone is injured by a slip and fall on ice in front of your house can do nothing to you. But if you clear the sidewalk then you can be held responsible for meeting a minimum level of competence.”

      Now you’ve done it. Al Sharpton’s daughter will be house-hunting in Orlando.

  9. Rich

    SnapTrends uses … keywords to monitor accounts on social media. “Whether somebody is expressing that they are depressed, unhappy sad ? those are important terms that we’ll be monitoring,” Tripp said.

    Of course, the kids will be using codewords that you old farts will miss.

    1. Libertarian

      Come on, Rich. These are teenagers. What are the chances that any of them will be sad, unhappy, or depressed?

      1. Rich

        “I’m, like, so dass I could, like bhangra lol!”

    2. straffinrun

      I’m not feeling too groovy, man.

    3. I’m going to become an hero.

    4. “These pretzels are making me THIRSTY.”
      [translation: I’m going to kill you all.]

  10. GotOutOfCali

    They’re @OCPSNews. You know, just in case you were curious.

  11. Rich

    Meh. If they *really* cared about the students and staff, the District would also monitor their phone calls.

    1. Libertarian

      You’re so paranoid. You probably think the FBI is flying drones around too, don’t you?

      1. Rich

        “Can your heart stand the shocking facts?”

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