Data Protection : Real life examples of consequences?

[contink]

Following on from the discussion re: MIS systems, 2 domains, etc.. here:

http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10084

 

... I'm aware that the recurring theme is one of teacher education/awareness as the most effective deterent when it comes to leaving computers un-attended and able to access resources only staff should have access to.

 

So, thinking this through I'm planning on running some training sessions now that staff in one of my schools are now getting their own accounts (we've just upgraded from a Win98 network) and need to get used to best practice now.

 

What I'd particularly like to get my hands on though are real world examples of how staff have ignored, flaunted or otherwise left access open and what consequences these have had for students, the staff member themselves and the school. I'm figuring that people have suitably horrific experiences to recall that can be sanitised to protect the guilty and innocent alike.

 

In a nutshell I want to be able to scare the living bejezuz out of these people so they listen and take note, and especially make sure SMT are behind me when they or I drop on them from a great height because they screwed up.

[Geoff]

Pipa Kings blog has a lot to say.

 

http://pippaking.blogspot.com/

 

Mainly focuses on biometrics (especially fingerprinting).

 

Also have a look at the Action Rights for Children website. It covers a lot of issues and gives you pointers for further reading.

 

http://www.arch-ed.org/

 

Also some careful googling of BBC news reveals some interesting stories.

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=data+protection+teacher+site%3Anews.bbc.co.uk

[SimpleSi]

In a nutshell I want to be able to scare the living bejezuz out of these people so they listen and take note

 

Why do you want to do this?

 

Why do you feel the urge to act as jailer/judge/executioner on fellow adults?

 

Has something happened thats made you adopt such an attitude?

 

Do you want to monitor and teach them how to drive a car correctly as incorrect driving would have a much greater chance of causing real harm to themselves and others?

 

regards

 

Simon

[webman]

SimpleSi: He's simply wanting to point out the legal implications of carrying out such actions such as not securing their computer when they "just popped out for a second" or "it didn't matter because they're nice kids".

 

Some teachers seem to think the law and general common sense doesn't apply to them.

[contink]

Webman pretty much hit the nail on the head.

 

I'm used to some teachers taking the attitude that I'm just a technician and like various others, feeling they don't have to listen. There's plenty of rants in FFS about the type, so it's not like I'm paranoid here.

 

Just a couple of examples of what I've dealt with so far.. Lemme see..

 

- One IT coordinator handed out a domain admin account with password to the whole school (yeah, I know!)

- Numerous teachers handing out their staff logins because they had work on there they wanted to kids to use and didn't bother learning to save to the shared directory for their class

- The usual deal of leaving workstations logged in, etc..

 

So, I have good reason for wanting to get teachers attention. They're not all muppets but the odd one or two need to get a clue so it helps to be ready with a real world example that gets their attention and the message across.

[Diello]

Has something happened thats made you adopt such an attitude?

 

Do you want to monitor and teach them how to drive a car correctly as incorrect driving would have a much greater chance of causing real harm to themselves and others?

 

How they drive isn't our responsibility - However, the protection of information, for both legal & moral reasons, is partly ours as the IT people in our establishments.

 

Causing real harm? OK - here's an example for you, it turned out OK in the end, but it shows the point:

 

Teacher comes to us the other day, "OMG, I left my laptop in the car last night and it's been stolen.", "I just remembered I saved my ePortal password in IE, now anyone could use my laptop to find all the personal information of our girls".

 

Now... to me, that could have caused real harm to our girls if that laptop HAD fallen into the wrong hands.

[_Bat_]

I can give a reasonble example I think.

 

I heard this from a IT guy in our LEA. Apparently it happened in one of our schools, so I assume he has his facts correct.

 

It relates more to password security, but it works here I think.

 

The teacher didn't have a good password for their e-mail account, the pupil worked it out (assuming they looked over the teachers shoulder) and they logged into her e-mail account. The next thing they know, the pupil has sent an e-mail to the poor teachers boyfriend dumping him. Might seem funny... but this poor teacher had to pick up the bits after this. I didn't find out whether they got back together .

[SimpleSi]

He's simply wanting to point out the legal implications

 

His post used much harsher language than that

 

I'm used to some teachers taking the attitude that I'm just a technician and like various others, feeling they don't have to listen.

 

AFAIK both you and me ARE part-time techs in primaries and pretty low on the food chain

 

However, the protection of information, for both legal & moral reasons, is partly ours as the IT people in our establishments.

 

Well, I can believe that to be true if your a highly paid Net Manager...

 

Now... to me, that could have caused real harm to our girls if that laptop HAD fallen into the wrong hands.

 

em- if I lose my wallet - I cancel my cards - so if people lose laptops like that - they should get their passwords changed.

 

I heard this from a IT guy in our LEA. Apparently it happened in one of our schools, so I assume he has his facts correct.

 

Hearsay - inadmissable as evidence (You believe your LEA Support )

 

regards

 

Simon

[contink]

You want a hand splitting those hairs Simon..

 

Anyways.. harsh language or not the reason for wanting these examples is valid.. and in terms of responsibility I take data protection and my job seriously. Perception is that I'll help the staff and the school itself avoid the pitfalls so if I don't make every effort to get the message across I'm not doing my job.. Bottom line, I'll find whatever works.

 

Thanks to those with the info and stories..

[mrcrazy04]

A student once found a document from SMT in a shared area detailing who to keep out of the way when Ofsted came. Luckily they told me rather than printing it and posting it round the school.

It was quickly deleted!

[ITWombat]

@SimpleSi

 

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it was Friday night you were bored and decided to have 'a bit of larf' but I am not sure why you have such a problem with what contink was saying.

 

Now you may consider that too much 'teacher bashing' goes on in EduGeek but in my experience contink's concerns also apply to non teaching staff. There's something about computers and ICT in general which has an infantalising effect on otherwise functioning adults. School staff would be the first people to complain if their bank or hospital treated their personal data quite the same way as some of them treat student information.

 

Legal issues aside this is a matter of common decency and fulfillment of trust placed in school staff by parents and society in general.

 

The examples given above are quite shocking and it is not insolent of a mere ICT technician to say so.

[_Bat_]

Hearsay - inadmissable as evidence

 

It's not really hearsay. I heard it from the person who was instructing our course. He said it to everyone on the course, so was speaking on behalf of link2ict (the LEA IT department).

 

If that was hearsay, that isn't pretty much everything hearsay? Sometimes you have to trust what people say, especially people in authority.

[localzuk]

Well, technically it is hearsay on this site as it is someone saying 'so and so told me'. If you had been the origin of the tale then it wouldn't be.

[SimpleSi]

but I am not sure why you have such a problem with what contink was saying.

 

because he said

 

I want to be able to scare the living bejezuz out of these people

 

I consider most of my teachers as worthwhile colleagues and I found the language upsetting on a "Friday Night". As you say, maybe on a Tuesday, I would have not been bothered - thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt

 

The examples given above are quite shocking

 

Sorry - I'd disagree - I find a lot more things than computer security shocking in schools - (Example deleted so as not not divert from topic and to protect me from libel )

 

@james

 

I just have a very low opinion of our LEA support - I'm glad that yours are better -sorry

 

Sometimes you have to trust what people say, especially people in authority.

 

The trouble is - you eventually come to realise that people in authority can be just as wrong as the rest of us but they can be very slow to admit it

 

regards

 

Simon

 

PS @localzuk - thank you for your legal support

[Midget]

If you want something in your school to scare you, go look at the electrics. Usually VERY scary when you start investigating.

[webman]

If you want something in your school to scare you, go look at the electrics. Usually VERY scary when you start investigating.

 

Yes Midget, I agree... positively shocking!

[Midget]

OUT!

 

*hands webman a coat*

[MkII]

Off topic, sorry...

 

Did I say before.. In our 25yr old 6th form block I drilled into a mains circuit.. nice big spark and a melted drill bit.. called out Mr Sparky who tackled it with his shielded screwdriver.. bang - another shock. He tested next time before wading in, and found another distribution point connected to this circuit, totalling 3 - he said it totalled 72amps to the one outlet.

 

It looked like a contractor had wired the building, left the distribution board wiring loose for someone else, with no previous knowledge of the job to finish.

[_Bat_]

I just have a very low opinion of our LEA support - I'm glad that yours are better -sorry

 

Lol, yeah, ours aren't brilliant, but I could tell the guy knew what he was talking about. He knew Ben (eduabncs) as well, which is always a good sign . LOL!

 

The trouble is - you eventually come to realise that people in authority can be just as wrong as the rest of us but they can be very slow to admit it

 

Very true. I was thinking that as I typed it actually. As I said above though, I trusted what he was saying. He knew what he was talking about.

 

Well, technically it is hearsay on this site as it is someone saying 'so and so told me'. If you had been the origin of the tale then it wouldn't be.

 

Fair enough . But even if it was coming from me, contink would then be telling the teachers something that I had said had happened, so still hearsay .

[contink]

Fair enough . But even if it was coming from me, contink would then be telling the teachers something that I had said had happened, so still hearsay .

LOL... ok folks... don't worry, I'm not going to be using your statements in a court of law. Now wave to the hidden cameras and speak a little more clearly please..

[eduabncs]

I just have a very low opinion of our LEA support - I'm glad that yours are better -sorry

 

Lol, yeah, ours aren't brilliant, but I could tell the guy knew what he was talking about. He knew Ben (eduabncs) as well, which is always a good sign . LOL!

 

The trouble is - you eventually come to realise that people in authority can be just as wrong as the rest of us but they can be very slow to admit it

 

Very true. I was thinking that as I typed it actually. As I said above though, I trusted what he was saying. He knew what he was talking about.

 

Well, technically it is hearsay on this site as it is someone saying 'so and so told me'. If you had been the origin of the tale then it wouldn't be.

 

Fair enough . But even if it was coming from me, contink would then be telling the teachers something that I had said had happened, so still hearsay .

 

 

Who...what...me..???? :hiding:

 

For Data Protection Act & Freedom of Information Act advice, have a talk to your LEA/Council information governance team, they will have one to oversee the councils obligations under both acts.

 

I think you'll find they'll be more then willing to give you advice. And even visit if you ask nicely!

[_Bat_]

Who...what...me..???? :hiding:

 

You have been the topic of discussion in at least two threads this past week... you even potentially had your own domain name