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School Spyware (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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Hi. My school just started issuing devices last year, and they have this Lightspeed spyware on them. Last year I was able to remove it by booting into Linux from a flash drive and moving the files to a separate drive and then back at the end of the year. This year I have heard from sources that they have ways of detecting someone booting from Linux so I am hesitant to do that option. My only other idea is to buy an old laptop off eBay that looks like it and install Linux on it. I could probably get one for about 50€. Does anyone have any cheaper ideas?

Oh also talking to IT isn’t an option.

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[–] [S] 24 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I want my schoolwork to be private. I don’t want a proprietary network enabled keylogger on my computer even though I only use it for schoolwork. I am legally required to go to my school, I am legally required to use their computer, I am legally required to give up my privacy. I don’t understand why people think privacy isn’t a reasonable expectation at school. I am okay with the school having my information but they use proprietary keyloggers and network monitoring tools that can do whatever the fuck they want with it.

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  • [–] 27 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    But unfortunately your schoolwork isn't private, it is likely considered property of the school. You will encounter this in both academia and any job you acquire basically. Work you do for them, or as a part of an assignment they hand you (schoolwork, research in university or whatever task at a job) is their property, that is something you unfortunately need to accept.

    Couple that with performing it on a device that is also not yours, but 100% theirs, they are allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it. Even if you did the work on a private device, they sill still own the work and the results you produce.

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  • [–] -4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    By this argument the school should be allowed to install cameras in its bathroom stalls, which after all are its legal property.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    Tbh, they very likely have cameras pointed at the bathroom entrances at the very least, and quite possibly in common areas of the bathrooms too. You're at school. Not home. Your right to privacy is minimal at best.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago

    This is the right attitude, my friend, for real.

    I'm a teacher and have guided students down this path before. Tech rights are important, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Surveillance is not security.

    Buying that cheapo Linux lappy and running it on the down-low sounds like the best bet. Don't draw attention to it and you'll be fine.

    The ethics of what you use it for is up to you: choose wisely. But simply wanting privacy is not a crime.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    How will they grade your work if you keep it private? Isn't the entire point of school assignments to show them to someone?

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  • [–] [S] -1 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I want to show my teachers my work, but I don’t want Microsoft or Lightspeed to have it.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    The moment you transfer your work to a teacher it stops being private. He/She may upload in to could or use any sort of software to grade it/organize it/check for cheating. There are privacy issues worth worrying and there are issues that are not. This is the second one.

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  • [–] [S] -3 points 2 years ago

    That is a good point, but privacy was half my reason for doing this. The other is that the performance impact of all the stuff they have on there is terrible. In another comment I went into more detail about the performance implications of the software they have added / make us use. I believe they also have windows defender live scanning or whatever its called enabled which slows even the lightest apps down quite a bit.

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