My technology use scenario is as follows:
“Dr. Brown, principal at Bluebird Elementary School, is concerned with safety
in his school, both for his staff and for his students. During the summer, Dr.
Brown had cameras installed in each of the classrooms. The video from each of
these cameras is viewable on the internet, so that parents can check on their
students’ classes during the day. Some parents are concerned that because these
cameras are connected to the internet, other people could also use them to
“spy” on their children. Do we have an expectation of privacy while at work,
home or play?” (Ribble, p. 121)
The individual in this situation, Dr.
Brown, is not using technology appropriately. We do have an expectation of some
level of privacy while at work, home and play. Privacy is unfortunately not a
black and white issue however, it can be reasonably understood that one has a
right to privacy in his or her own home or a bathroom in a public place or
school, for example, more so than if you were outside mowing your lawn where
anyone who walks or drives by can see what you are doing. Dr. Brown is not
using technology appropriately because according to the Personal Information
Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) Dr. Brown must limit the use
and disclosure of the camera videos (Filsinger, p. 313). He must not disclose
the information to third parties unless he obtains consent (in this case from
the parents since the students are minors) (Filsinger, p. 313). Third parties
would be all of the other people able to view the cameras on the internet,
which the parents are against and therefore, consent would not be granted.
I also believe that since an elementary
school contains children aged three to 13 there should be a greater expectation
of privacy due to the extra precautions and safety measures that need to be
taken against things such as abductions and bullying. Since these students
cannot give consent to being videotaped themselves as they are under the age or
majority, it is up to the parents, staff at Bluebird Elementary School and Dr.
Brown to understand and weigh the benefits and risks of having these cameras in
the classrooms and act in the best interests of the students.
Personally, I think Dr. Brown may install
the cameras in classrooms (a common area with a relatively low expectation of
privacy) but I do not think these cameras should be viewable on the internet.
School security should have access to the tapes and parents should be contacted
only if there is an issue. If there were a more secure way that parents could
view the cameras other than what is presumably an open link on the internet,
this would be the better option if parents still insist on being able to check
up on their children.
Resources
Filsinger, K. (2015).
Employment law for business and human
resources professionals (Third
Edition). Toronto, ON: Edmond Montgomery Publications.
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools (Third Edition).
United States of America: International Society for Technology in Education.
Although I understand that Dr. Brown may be concerned about the safety of the students, sharing this information on the internet seems like a breach of privacy. Due to the fact that information is readily accessible on the internet, I feel as though the safety of the children is compromised due to this. Staff have undergone extensive training and there are very strict safety procedures in schools that they are to follow. Therefore, Dr. Brown should trust in the staff that has been hired, and if he is concerned about safety, he should implement more training surrounding this issue, rather than relying on cameras.
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