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Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

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Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#331

Post by MarkusWandel »

This is probably a dumb question, but can't you just log into the school's system using normal Chrome (or even Firefox) on a normal computer? This worked for my (very young) children when COVID made them stay home for a while. The school board issued very nice Chromebooks, but we were afraid of them getting broken, so we just logged in at the computer stations they have anyway, no problem.

You could even spin up a VM image with a very basic Linux install in it for further privilege isolation.

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#333

Post by [deleted] »

docmars wrote: post #270
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Following this advice and using a tone that even resembles the tone of the comment or the original post will make you look/sound crazy. Thank you. Also, please ignore every comment in this thread suggesting you lawyer up or go to small claims court. The laptop isn't ruined and can be reset whenever the OP wants (as they already established). If you go in guns blazing to the school board, the school is going to go i…

> If you go in guns blazing to the school board, the school is going to go into full defensive mode. Once you've established yourself as the aggressive parent with an axe to grind, they're not going to be interested at all in working with you. Too bad! They can be voted out, or face lawsuits if a heated attitude is too much for them that they feel the need to ignore valid feedback regardless of the emotions involved.…

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#336

Post by throwawaybner3 »

quadrifoliate wrote: post #116

> I bought him a Chromebook for schoolwork, but also for other private things. When we logged in... This is why you need to pay attention to the technology choices that you make, and that your schools make. Chromebooks are designed from the ground up to be locked-down dystopian spyware once you "log in" to them with a specific Google account. For heaven's sake stop buying any more Chromebooks. The correct solution he…

RMS(Richard Stallman) was way ahead. Like him or not. He is right.

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#337

Post by withinboredom »

hedora wrote: post #293
evilDagmar wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Chromebooks are designed from the ground up to be locked-down dystopian spyware once you "log in" to them with a specific Google account. Nonsense. They were designed to implement required policies when someone logs into a managed domain. Unless you're logging into something like that (where disclosures have been made and consent has been obtained) then there's no "dystopian spyware" involved. Absent any domain man…

> consent has been obtained Has it been, in this case? If a parent says 'I do not agree to this', then what? Will the school district swap the system out for one that doesn't require end users to waive their legal rights? Has that ever happened when a parent objected to one of these EULAs, even once?

Not to mention, consent can be revoked at any time in the future without reason. Giving consent once does not mean you have consent forever.

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#338

Post by hanselot »

kelnos wrote: post #302
docmars wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you go in guns blazing to the school board, the school is going to go into full defensive mode. Once you've established yourself as the aggressive parent with an axe to grind, they're not going to be interested at all in working with you. Too bad! They can be voted out, or face lawsuits if a heated attitude is too much for them that they feel the need to ignore valid feedback regardless of the emotions involved.…

The question I like to ask myself in instances like these, when I'm pissed off at what I see as unreasonable attitudes and processes, is this: Do I care more about making myself feel better by airing my grievances in whatever way suits my fancy, or do I care about a specific outcome? If it's the latter, then the best thing to do is to figure out who is in charge, and, critically, the right way to talk to them in orde…

No post body was provided.

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#339

Post by carschno »

simonh wrote: post #316
boomlinde wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The laptop isn't ruined and can be reset whenever the OP wants (as they already established). I take it that it's fine that I install a microphone with a transmitter in your ceiling fixture so long as I do 't damage the fixture itself. > Don't immediately rush to assumptions of malicious intent Is there a good reason to doubt that the intended purpose for installing the software was to use its advertised functional…

If they thought the laptop was school property, then comparisons to wilful intrusion into someone’s house is hyperbolic, and no it wasn’t malicious. It would be more like if the cops had a valid warrant to track a suspects car, but installed the tracker in the wrong car by mistake. Best to establish the facts first.

Installing monitoring software (spyware) on a laptop that is owned by the school is legit only if you consider the student exactly that: a suspect. In that sense, your comment is spot-on.

Following that logic, the act itself does not seem malicious. However, the logic of seeing students as suspects is.

Re: Tell HN: My kid's school installed spyware and I can't remove it

#340

Post by op00to »

vorpalhex wrote: post #107

Did you ever consent to the GoGuardian monitoring of your student? I'd probably wireshark it and see if it's sending out data - especially on other users than your kid. That moves this from "The school installed invasive but allowable anti-cheating software" to "The school is monitoring my family without consent" which is a more interesting avenue.

100% guaranteed the parent signed something before the kid could do anything with a school Google account.
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