Security Toilet-Cameras

From Mark Frauenfelder on Boing Boing, 26.02.08

Students at Lipson School in Plymouth UK returned from a one-week break to discover closed-circuit security cameras in the lavatories (They were "the round ones that can move," said one 15-year-old who saw them). After hundreds of students protested, the school agreed to remove the cameras.

I'm not sure I believe principal Steve Baker when he says he didn't know about the cameras, but if he's telling the truth, he should either fire the creep who ordered them to be installed, or he should resign in shame for not knowing what's going on in the school he is paid to oversee. However, Baker says he's not going to even discipline the unnamed miscreant who had the cameras installed. "It's a learning situation, not a disciplinary one," Baker said.

Principal Steve Baker said contractors fitted them on the orders of another staff member, who did not have the measure approved by him or school governors.

Mr Baker added that the system had now been disabled and would be removed as soon as possible.

He said: "Someone made an error. They had no authorisation from me or from the governors to install these cameras"

What the hell’s up with this? I seriously thought it was a joke when I first read it and I’m staggered that this hasn’t hit the news in a bigger way yet. I initially came across this on Boing Boing yesterday and traced it back to the source article, from the Daily Mail of all places. Well, there’s no accounting for taste.

But seriously? Tell me this is just an early April Fools’. Some random staff member saw fit to have security cameras installed in the pupils’ toilets and the school and contractors didn’t question it but rather looked the other way. The cameras, apparently, were installed as part of an ongoing surveillance system. But surveying what, that’s the question?

I’m gobsmacked over this, quite frankly. And that doesn’t happen very often.