Engineering Leader · Private Pilot · Dad · PSU Hockey
OAT 72° XPDR 1200 GS 145 18:42Z
10
20
10
20
160150140130120110100
138
32003100300029002800
3,000
306090120150
90
My Life
Bio & background
PROFILE · SET
My Computers
Current rigs
UPTIME · 100%
My Projects
What I'm building
STATUS · ACTIVE
Résumé
Curriculum vitae
FORMAT · HTML

Kutztown 13

08/22/05 @ 1:52 pm · By Steve Hoffman · Comments (2) · Leave one
Have you heard about the Kutztown 13?  I'll give you the short and sweet of it.  A bunch of kids were issed laptops for school purposes under strict guidlines and found the Administrator password and started doing things they signed a paper stating that they wouldn't do.  Well they got caught...because they bragged, becasue they started spying on their teachers, because they installed stuff and viewed stuff they shouldn't have.  Now they're being charged with a felony, computer tresspass and everyone is up in arms. 

I read a website on these kids that naturally places all the blame on the school and not one iota on the kids and sadly many people are taking the side of the kids.   They are claiming that these poor unfortunate students are victims because the password was easy to crack (taped to the back of the laptop).  I think that's simply bullshit!  I think that these students should be punished, and if the law says it's a felony, then so be it.  The password being easy to crack does not make one iota of difference.  Because a business has a simple buzzer security alarm, does that make it ok to shoplift? Perhaps a better analogy is if a front door was left unlocked, it's ok to go into someone else's house and start making phone calls?  It's simply ridiculous to place the blame of hacking on anyone BUT the students!  Both parents and students signed a letter of acceptable use before they were ever issued the laptops so it should come as no surprise that there will be consequences for their actions.

I'm sure the media will get them enough attention so the kids get off with a slap on the wrist and let the parents go back to ignoring their children...you know basically NOT parenting.  Send their little undisciplined brats off to public school, expect the teachers to raise them, but the first time there's a disagreement between a teacher and a student the parents instantly take their kids side..and why wouldn't you.  I truly believe that a 5-18 year old kid, knows twice as much about right and wrong then a grown up.  I can't believe I just said that I feel almost as dumb as the parents that believe that.  It's bullshit.  I don't want kids right now, but when the time comes and we have them, you can bet your ass that if a teacher informs me that my kid is acting up or disrespecting ANY adult or heaven forbid being charged with a felony, I will unleash a good old fashion country ass whoopin'.  That's a promise!

Comments

Get'em · 08/22/05 @ 6:46 pm · Dean Price
Giv'em Hell, Steve!!!
Agree · 08/22/05 @ 10:52 pm · Aunt Pat
Agree that students are wrong. A "felony" charge may be a little severe but I bet they were warned repeatedly not to use passwords to attempt to login to unauthorized areas. On the "13's" website they don't take any responsibility. Makes me mad.