Lower Merion family wants webcam photos kept private

Parents of one Lower Merion teen are worried the investigation into alleged spying through school-issued laptops could compromise his privacy.

Parents of one Lower Merion teen are worried the investigation into alleged spying through school-issued laptops could compromise his privacy.

In the motion filed Monday, the family of Harriton High School student Evan Neill asks the judge to bar any photographs or screenshots taken by the district from becoming public.

The motion contends that only the students whose laptop webcams had been activated should be privy to that information.

Terry Loscalzo is an attorney for the family. Loscalzo says plenty of students reported seeing the green light on the webcam turn on, possibly indicating remote access by district officials.

“These computers were in people’s homes,” says Loscalzo. “The plaintiffs don’t know what was photographed, what their child was doing, or when the photographs were taken.”

Loscalzo says the Neill family is not seeking monetary damages, but just wants to head off more privacy violations.