Should I let my school install software on my personal laptop

[RohaanHV]

Ok, so this year my school obligated us to get a new laptop for school. Seeing as I already had an asus zephyrus I just decided to use that. Well now they are saying they want us to install LanSchool teacher, and they will get access to our laptops even when we are at home 

[rEkmAInc1csBnlM6C85H]

No, LanSchool has screen watching and capture features that are transparent to students.

[RohaanHV]

2 minutes ago, Andrew 1337 said:

No, LanSchool has screen watching and capture features that are transparent to students.

Can they block me from the internet if I don’t have it installed 

[rEkmAInc1csBnlM6C85H]

3 minutes ago, RohaanHV said:

Can they block me from the internet if I don’t have it installed 

Doubtful, most University and Colleges are too inept to configure that. But if it is in your contract they may be legally aloud to deny you network access without it.

 

I would suggest not installing it, and if anyone asks say "you could not get it to work".

[Crunchy Dragon]

3 minutes ago, Andrew 1337 said:

and if anyone asks say "you could not get it to work".

I would advise against this, and just come clean with why you don't have it.

 

Tell the truth and say you're concerned about privacy(which I'm guessing you are).

[rEkmAInc1csBnlM6C85H]

6 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

I would advise against this, and just come clean with why you don't have it.

 

Tell the truth and say you're concerned about privacy(which I'm guessing you are).

I hope he is prepared for the "What do you have something to hide?" speech he will get from whatever dictatorship of an institution he is attending.

 

Most places demanding LanSchool on personal machines care little for privacy or security; or the students that want it.

[Crunchy Dragon]

Just now, Andrew 1337 said:

I hope he is prepared for the "What do you have something to hide?" speech he will get from whatever dictatorship of ar institution he is attending.

 

Most places demanding LanSchool on personal machines care little for privacy or security; or the students that want it.

I guess you could always go the VM route...

[Arika]

i wouldn't install anything like that on a personal device, either get a super cheap chromebook purely for school, or request that the school provide you with a device because you're not willing to install such software on a personal computer.

[Nine Tailed Fox]

Damn that's some shady ass stuff

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

If you want to use that laptop then run a second windows install in parallel that you use for school and only school and then keep anything you want to keep private on the main one. Alternatively tell them to fuck right off with their spyware

[Arika]

7 hours ago, orbitalbuzzsaw said:

If you want to use that laptop then run a second windows install in parallel that you use for school and only school and then keep anything you want to keep private on the main one. Alternatively tell them to fuck right off with their spyware

or find a Linux Distro that wont accept that program anyway

 

"oh, it's not supported on my PC< guess i can't install it"

[5x5]

Threaten legal action. This is straight up illegal as a requirement and breach of your civil rights

[tikker]

9 hours ago, RohaanHV said:

this year my school obligated us to get a new laptop for school.

Is this even legal? If something is undeniably required they should provide it in my opinion. Either by prodivin you with the laptops or offering a computer lab or something like that.

 

I wouldn't let them install stuff on my personal devices that allows them access. Give me a work/school authorized device if you want to spy on me.

 

[Edit] or at least provide some means to get it through a discounted school store, whatever, just anything that does not force you to buy it at full price from your own money.

[5x5]

1 minute ago, tikker said:

Is this even legal? If something is undeniably required they should provide it in my opinion. Either by prodivind you with the laptops or offering a computer lab or something like that.

 

I wouldn't let them install stuff on my personal devices that allows them access. Give me a work/school authorized device if you want to spy on me.

It's not legal in most countries. Hence why threatening legal action is the only way to get them off your back quickly

[WkdPaul]

Yeah, just no to that. LanSchool is supposed to be used on school owned devices. I would never agree to have that on a personal device.

 

Installing that is basically giving the "keys" to your computer to a LOT of people, and there were previous cases of abuse.

[rgb fan]

if your going to get it put it on a  dumy computer not your main one

[RohaanHV]

21 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

Yeah, just no to that. LanSchool is supposed to be used on school owned devices. I would never agree to have that on a personal device.

 

Installing that is basically giving the "keys" to your computer to a LOT of people, and there were previous cases of abuse.

do you know if it is legal in montreal for me to deny my school access to my laptop?

 

[rEkmAInc1csBnlM6C85H]

4 minutes ago, RohaanHV said:

do you know if it is legal in montreal for me to deny my school access to my laptop?

 

Yes, 100%; there are few places on this earth where it would not be.

 

They have no right to modify your personal property and infringe your privacy.

[zushiba]

Absolutely not and I work in IT at a college, albeit in the states. I wouldn't allow any such software on my own personal device. If I was in a situation where it was  requirement I'd do as others have suggested here, spin up a VM. Let them install it on the VM and then turn that that VM and never look at it again.

I don't know if it's a fight worth fighting to get it tested in court or even just making a stink about it, I'd rather just let them think they've won and be done with it.

[RohaanHV]

9 hours ago, zushiba said:

Absolutely not and I work in IT at a college, albeit in the states. I wouldn't allow any such software on my own personal device. If I was in a situation where it was  requirement I'd do as others have suggested here, spin up a VM. Let them install it on the VM and then turn that that VM and never look at it again.

I don't know if it's a fight worth fighting to get it tested in court or even just making a stink about it, I'd rather just let them think they've won and be done with it.

Can they make it that i don't have internet access without the software, if they do can i transfer the internet from the VM to the main OS

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This from Wikipedia:

 

"...LanSchool products use a proprietary remote desktop protocol that communicates via TCP and UDP. A console application is installed on the teacher's computer, which communicates peer-to-peer with a software agent running on the pupils' computers. The software is available in a 'Teacher' and 'Student' edition. The Teacher edition allows the user to access and control the computers with the Student edition installed on them..."

 

That and the fact the software was developed by Lenovo would be all the reason I would need to tell the the school, "No way!", threaten legal action, then be prepared to follow through with it if necessary.

[Zodiark1593]

For school owned computers, I couldn't care less about what they put on their so long as the user is aware that anything they do is being logged upon every boot(regardless of whether or not logging is being done), and the school refrain from using the web-camera, or perhaps, try to contract for a sku that omits the camera. Use of DeepFreeze would be valuable to protect both the school and the user. It is the school's computer, loaned out solely for study, so some management seems a fair request.

 

Device management software on personal devices however, deserves nothing more than a "No".

[RohaanHV]

1 minute ago, Zodiark1593 said:

For school owned computers, I couldn't care less about what they put on their so long as the user is aware that anything they do is being logged upon every boot(regardless of whether or not logging is being done), and the school refrain from using the web-camera, or perhaps, try to contract for a sku that omits the camera. Use of DeepFreeze would be valuable to protect both the school and the user. It is the school's computer, loaned out solely for study, so some management seems a fair request.

 

Device management software on personal devices however, deserves nothing more than a "No".

The laptop was purchased by me with my savings from work, thus it is mine and not the schools

[Zodiark1593]

7 minutes ago, RohaanHV said:

The laptop was purchased by me with my savings from work, thus it is mine and not the schools

Then the school can go kick around some sand, or buy you a new laptop.