WebcamGate 2009: A High School’s Laptop Initiative Turned Into A National Spying Scandal

Cybercrime Magazine’s latest YouTube Short video, produced by Taylor Fox, looks back at a riveting privacy and surveillance story that gripped students, parents, and educators across the U.S.

In 2009, a 15-year-old named Blake Robbins was called to the principal’s office and accused of taking drugs. The proof? A webcam photo… taken in his own bedroom.

Blake was just a normal teen at Harriton High, in Philadelphia. But that year, the school gave every student a brand-new MacBook. It was supposed to be a dream—homework, AIM chats, video games—all at your fingertips.

Except that dream came with a dark twist. The laptops had software called ‘Theft Track’ meant to locate lost or stolen computers. But instead, it secretly took thousands of photos of students at home. Without their knowledge. Without their consent.

When a photo surfaced of Blake holding what appeared to be drugs, the school freaked out. But Blake hadn’t touched drugs. That ‘proof’? It was just a misshapen Mike and Ike candy from a video he sent to a friend.

The case went viral. It was called WebcamGate. The FBI uncovered over 56,000 images taken on students’ laptops. 36 students were targeted at home. Many never had a missing laptop. And still… their privacy was stripped away.

Blake and his family sued. Settlements were reached, but most of the money went to lawyers. His sister Paige sued later, fearing the photos could ruin her future. Meanwhile, the school defended itself, claiming it never ‘spied’ on students.

What happened to Blake wasn’t an anomaly. It was a preview of how student surveillance could become normal. Is this just the beginning?

Blake left Pennsylvania at 18. The school? Still denying wrongdoing.

That laptop – that photo – changed how America thinks about privacy in schools today. (Here’s Blake’s current Instagram account)

Watch the Video