Secret Software Totally Kills Google Usefulness at School…and Home
March 25, 2016282 Views
Technology is a huge part of our everyday lives and in recent years has become more prevalent in the schools, many assignments are given and expected to be turned in electronically. The technology we use in school is supposed to make getting assignments done easier but with some of the policies, not to mention the hidden software, students (and teachers) do not get to efficiently utilize the internet to its full potential. If school is really about making us “college and career ready” then how does censorship, surveillance and a “blocked” online user encounter accomplish that?
We all have Google accounts that are linked to IRCSD, but what actual purpose do they serve? The only thing you can actually use on the account is Google Drive, which some student cannot even access from home because they do not have internet access apart from the filtered version we get here at school. We cannot email anyone outside of the school, which limits basically the entire point of having email, and we cannot receive emails from anyone other than our teachers. In fact, if a senior wanted to use the school provided email address as a way for colleges to contact them, they couldn’t, which is ridiculous.
Lately, many students and teachers haven’t even been able to access Google from a lot of the school provided devices. We actually cannot access Google on machines that are literally powered by Google but I can access any other website that hasn’t been blocked (which if we’re being honest is not that many). That is absolutely ridiculous. Lately, you’re lucky if you don’t get the “Your connect is not private—attackers might be trying to steal your information” along with the error code NET: ERR_CERT_ AUTHORITY_INVALID.
The reason this is happening is that some “Lightspeed” Chrome Extensions are being “force” installed (sometimes on your personal devices) anytime you login to a school Google account… I don’t remember signing a document okaying this. The extensions edit the registry of any Windows-based devices to “infect” the installation of Chrome. Saying that the browser has been infected is not inaccurate because unlike legit software add-ons, the files hide themselves. As long as you’re using an IRCSD account, you (and even teachers) can’t deactivate or remove them.
At press time, literally the only way around this on the $50? $75,000? worth of school Chromebooks is to “browse as guest” so the filtering and blocking extensions aren’t activated. If that doesn’t prove they are a problem, then what will?
How exactly does this degree of censorship and restriction prepare us for life and careers after graduating? Because I am quite positive that unless you attend or work for IRCSD then you will have access to all content on the internet.
So the question remains: Who is making these policies, and why? Is the school administration and Board of Education fully aware of how bad this situation is?
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Cate aka absolutartist1 • Apr 1, 2016 at 6:21 am
You CAN email people outside of ircsd.org – they just can’t reply. My kids and one of my girl scouts have all sent me messages.
I refuse to use Chrome – I only use Firefox, and experience none of the issues described. I do understand your frustrations though.
On a slightly related note, I want to know why the schools haven’t installed FREE – to them and us – TWC WiFi Hot Spots. When asked for Internet access for Girl Scout meetings we were told their WiFi network is secure and it is a security issue to give us a password for access.
Anderson • Apr 1, 2016 at 7:49 am
Adult staff members (which you seem to be) do not have the same restrictions on their email, as they obviously HAVE to be able to send and receive messages to/from outside addresses.
Literally Chrome is the only browser available (other than Internet Explorer -ugh- on the remaining Windows machines) on most school equipment, and students cannot install Firefox (or any other software) themselves. We will test Google functionality on Firefox using an IRCSD account, perhaps for a follow-up article.
We will look into the TWC WiFi, but we actually have a WiFi network in IRHS–one that students cannot access with their own devices. We highly doubt that Time Warner would actually provide such service for free to 1,000 high school students.
Dakota • Mar 29, 2016 at 12:38 am
As long as you’re using an IRCSD account, you (and even teachers) can’t deactivate or remove them. So perhaps at home you should use an account that is not issued by ircsd?
Anderson • Mar 29, 2016 at 7:45 am
Not to be rude, but you might be missing the point. Of course, yes, most students (and teachers) have other accounts. But for Google Classroom assignments, you are pretty much forced to use the IRCSD accounts. So if you ever have to use Classroom from home, you are still forced to deal with the Lightspeed extensions, which are so sketchy that Google itself blocks your access to gmail. There is no known way around this on a Windows-based computer. It totally defeats the purpose of having a school-issued account.
Dustin Burdick • Mar 26, 2016 at 1:21 pm
Excellent report, you brought up a lot of good points. Follow up with some interviews with the people connected to the problem.
Anderson • Mar 29, 2016 at 7:47 am
Thanks for your feedback. “Connected to the problem” is kind of vague though, can you be more specific? We would like to keep this issue in the public eye until some kind of resolution is found.
Mrs mc • Mar 26, 2016 at 11:21 am
Nice article Tea. It’s super frustrating when even your home internet use is limited by the blue screens.
Anderson • Mar 29, 2016 at 7:48 am
Thank you for your feedback!