My (high) school is going "NSA" on their students

So basically my high school has given us the opportunity to "learn" using ipads. But lately they are getting more strict with the ICT policy and has made every student install an app called Airwatch Agent. What annoys me more is that the school didn't even pay for these ipads, every student used their own money, also you HAVE to get one.

Going back to that app, they can pretty much take personal information. I am only concerned about this because i know plenty of students that use their devices personally, not only for school.

To Logan, Wendell and Qain. I wanted to hear your thoughts on this.

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Wait, the students pay for the tablets? Do you buy them from the school? Or is it a "rental" from the school? What happens to the tablet when you are done with school IE graduate?

If you bought it from the school as in you OWN the tablet and do not have to return it at any time, I am not sure that they can legally do this.(I am not a lawyer)

Edit since people keep replying to me: If you signed a ToS agreement or an Internet usage agreement then they can do whatever the want with it if you connect it to their network.

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Wow, this sounds super crappy.

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This is really bad i feel sorry for you man.

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This. This is extremely important.

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If you own the tablet they have no right to install software on it. You may be able to reasonable argue that case.

However they may be well within there rights to disallow you access to the network if you do not install the software they require.

I can't see why they would be required. Any monitoring should be able to be done on the network. There shouldn't be a need to put this software on your own devices (if they are your own).

If you have to get one they should be providing them. If they don't and you have to use your own they should not require software installed on it. If they don't cooperate they should provide an alternative method of learning. But they may not be required to by any law..

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this reminds me of my high school where you could bring in you own laptop but you had to put this fucked up software called ''K-9'' on it that broke everything, even corupting an OS at times. Macs specifically got OS corruptions out the wazzoo and it spied on everything you did. this problem was solved by newly established IT interns (my freind and i specifically) and did away with this and used software built into the routers to begin with and everything was solved

Now if you own these tablets the school has no right to really make you instal something for the purposes of spying and any regulations (blocking bad sites, limiting bandwith, etc) should be dealt with server side and it would not be as much as an issue. The only time i could see this be remotely nessessary is if everyone is using a VPN or proxy to get around router based regualtions but i doubt the majority are with only ipads

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If I were you, remove it. See if you can find someone to make basically the same thing, but it does not do what it does, basically a fake app. If they question you about it, show them you have it installed, don't let them take it. If you paid for it, you own it, just at least in install the software. I wish school and crap would not do this.

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Our school forced us to use iPads this year. Not sure if we had to buy one (I have my own), but we did have to install some sketchy software. Just don't install it. You own the device if you bought it. There's no reason they should be able to collect your data. If they ask why you don't have it installed or threaten you with something simply link them to this thread. Worst comes to worst, get a lawyer and sue them for every penny they have.

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I run IT at a small school district. Basically we have to monitor/filter all web traffic or lose our funding for internet. As far as air watch it is capable of what apple allows MDM(mobile device management) vendors to do. I don't believe they can watch your screen but they can force all your traffic thought a vpn/proxy and see that. What MDMs allow the school to do is

1.get a inventory of device info/list of apps.
2.deploy configuration settings.(network settings and device settings like disable camera)
3.deploy and revoke software.
4.enforce compliance(disable internet if you do something you school has a policy against)

While we own the devices that we monitor alot of vendors are pushing the idea of managing byod devices that can be placed on a device to deploy apps and revoked after you leave the school/business.

If you signed a form when you bought the device you are bound to those rules.

True, but if they force the students to have the tablet for school and the student refuses to sign said document, what happens then?

It would be similar to: you can buy this notebook from the school but you can't take notes in it without signing this document saying the school can at anytime view what's in said notebook. And they require you to have said notebook for school.

Or if you refuse to sign the Internet usage document, because you don't agree with something in it. Yes it makes your school time much harder but what is the school going to do if you don't sign it? Same for the tablet. So you don't get one in the first place, they going to stop you from going to said school? I don't see how a school can force you to buy anything for you to attend that school.

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It would be like buying software then having to accept the eula to use it.
also the could have forced a signature before the purchase witch is likely if the students bought from she school.
We have a signed document that all students must sign to use the internet. if you don't, you don't use the internet.
Ultimately if you didn't sigh contract with the school you don't have to get the software installed but cant use it in school.

The subject of regulation in schools is a tricky one. In absence of the parents, there is a lot of responsibility (legal and otherwise) on the school for taking care of the child and ensuring a positive environment. This is called in loco parentis - in the place of the parents. This is why schools play it safe with a lot of rules, and why "silly" things such as dress codes exist.

Network monitoring has already been established for a rather long time. Fiddling with tablets is just an extension of this. Yeah, it may be lame for the users, but if it prevents some idiot from doing something dumb in the locker room, I don't think you're going to hear much of an argument from parents.

another thing to be aware of is This would allow the school to send traffic back to the school to be monitored from anywhere not just within the school.

who paid for the Ipads? You or the school (Or a grant). If you, you could go to the school board and argue that this is your own property and you don't have any control. If obtained by a grant (you said they didn't buy it), just yell FUCK YOU to them and get a laptop with some encryption software on it.

By laptop I mean netbook which you can get something like a chromebook or an acer aspire and if chromebook, use cruton to through a distro of gnu/linux on there.

That is beautiful... my school can smd (though I just graduated). If they forced something like this on us, some of us would seriously rebel, good thing they are too dumb to understand technology.

Chromebooks are great, even if they force something onto you, it is extremely easy to instawipe. Same with a full power laptop, if you are willing to lose some data. Or encrypt a partition and run everything off that.

1.get a inventory of device info/list of apps.
2.deploy configuration settings.(network settings and device settings like disable camera)
3.deploy and revoke software.
4.enforce compliance(disable internet if you do something you school has a policy against)

If this is personal device not owned by school, then its not your business; this shouldn't be in your reach.
by managing or helping you're hurting their rights, and its illegal under law.

To monitor web traffic you simply install baracuda systems alike or something like that network filters. MDM is illegal on private owned devices by principle and under the US law.

  • having underage youth sign that, is illegal as well.
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If they don't agree with the schools rule the device can be left at home.
MDM are not illegal You have to agree to BYOD TOS.
The parents would be the ones to agree.