Looking a gift iBook in the mouth earns you a felony!

Check out this story (Berks-Mont Newspapers - Kutztown Area Patriot - 06/23/2005 - 13 teens face felonies) -- too long to do justice in a summary here. Basically: School gives kid iBook; kid logs into iBook as Admin; kid charged with felony.

No grades were stolen. Nothing inappropriate was taken. School policy was violated, sure... but I'm not exactly sure how you can criminally trespass against a piece of equipment that's been given to you for your own use. I'd love to see the TOS the students signed; I'm sure that was clear, right?

Complicating matters is allegation that legitimate, legal authorites didn't bother to do their own investigation, but have instead just taken the word and "evidence" of the district. (Based on information from today's homepage of MacInTouch.com, which linked to this story.)

Comments

Citizen O said…
My high school had a typing proficiency requirement. My best friend, a veteran coder even at that age, tampered with the "words-per-minute" algorithm on 1 of the 20 test disks and directed his non-typist friends to use that particular disk when the time came to pass typing.

This was obviously before networks and the net had found their way into high schools... But a felony? I donno, it sounds kinda half-@$$ed... like even the prosecutors don't know what the heck these kids did.

And here I thought I was all subversive as an eighth-grader, when I discovered the administrative access area of
[obscure]
"Lake Odell".
[/obscure]

JL
July 11, 2005 at 5:16 PM
emlarson said…
I always thought it was "Odell Lake". :) Ranks right up there with the first version of "Oregon Trail", Jon!
July 11, 2005 at 7:13 PM
Citizen O said…
DOH! Odell Lake it is. I've been thoroughly outgeeked, and I'm ashamed. Oregon Trail? I remember that one too! Hehe.
July 11, 2005 at 7:50 PM
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