Impero school snooping software

[Miserablegit]

My son has just informed me that his school have downloaded impero software onto his iPad.

Whilst I understand the school’s concern for internet safety I’m a little concerned that they’ve installed something without my permission and I don’t know what it is - it’s a warning to me as I thought I’d locked the iPad down because every time my son wants to download something I get a message asking if it is ok.
I have apple filters set up on my son’s account but don’t feel comfortable with his iPad snooping the network and reporting back to base when he’s browsing at home.
I suppose I can remove his domestic network access and put him on the guest system but that’s a pain for streaming etc.
Is anyone familiar with this software please?
I’m happy to block access to the impero servers if anyone has details - that’s what I’ve done with sonos to ringfence the system.
Many thanks

[Taita]

Is it a school ipad or personal one used for school stuff? eg what mechanism / MDM has been used to deploy Impero?

[HRL]

If it’s a personal device why don’t you just uninstall it?

[Miserablegit]

It’s a personal iPad - need to wait for son to return from school- he sent me a message.
I presume the school is going to tell me it is a requirement of using the iPad in school but the IPad was a school-mandated requirement upon return from lockdown.

[Taita]

I would uninstall it.

I'm not sure what you refer to when 'Impero snoops on the network'? I don't know if it has that functionality but would be surprised.

It is unlikely the school would know (apart from a 'device hasn't checked in' notification in Impero which your son can play dumb too.

[AJB88]

Personal iPad just delete it.

[sgrimshaw]

AJB88 said:

Personal iPad just delete it.

and if they re-install it, delete it again.

I wonder who will get bored first

[Taita]

sgrimshaw said:

AJB88 said:

Personal iPad just delete it.

and if they re-install it, delete it again.

I wonder who will get bored first

Yup.

I don't see 'how' the school installed it in the first place aside from asking the kids to install it somewhere? eg they have no remote mgmt ability on it?

[geeks]

Assuming it is not enrolled into any form of MDM then the only way it could have been installed is from the App Store.

It's a app for the teachers to lock screens, share content like websites and generally help them control their "digital classroom" its a proper tool not some mickey mouse thing they have bought.

That said, I would have expected the school to have informed you of what they would be doing in regards to having an app installed before asking students to install it.

I work heavily in the MDM/EMM (or whatever acronym we are using this week) space, feel free to PM me with any questions.

[Miserablegit]

It’s a personal iPad with family restrictions applied to my son’s child account which is linked to my Apple account. He can’t download any apps without my say so - I get a message asking yay or nay.
A teacher asked for his iPad today and returned it with Impero somehow installed. I received no authority requests so don’t know how they installed it. There’s nothing in his purchase history either so they must have plugged it into something?

Thanks for the offer Geeks- I’ll do some more research but might take you up on that when I know what questions to ask.

[AlexS]

Did your son log out and then the teacher / school IT log in to download and install the app?

[tangerine_sedge]

Just musing here, but has the school just broken the computer misuse act?

You've not given permission to alter the device and your son can't have....

[The_Jackal]

That sounds well dodgy, especially without an email to the parents or anything.

[rodericb]

Whoah, does it sneak around controls like what Zoom does?

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Go and install yourself in the head's bedroom wardrobe... But don't tell them.

If caught simply state that you thought this was how the school / parent relationship works now.

Make sure you're not sporting an errection when caught. It would undermine the point you are trying to make.

[Teddy Lop]

Miserablegit said:

It’s a personal iPad with family restrictions applied to my son’s child account which is linked to my Apple account. He can’t download any apps without my say so - I get a message asking yay or nay.
A teacher asked for his iPad today and returned it with Impero somehow installed. I received no authority requests so don’t know how they installed it. There’s nothing in his purchase history either so they must have plugged it into something?

Thanks for the offer Geeks- I’ll do some more research but might take you up on that when I know what questions to ask.

that's pretty creepy. I'm guessing apple must be in on it?

[geeks]

Miserablegit said:

It’s a personal iPad with family restrictions applied to my son’s child account which is linked to my Apple account. He can’t download any apps without my say so - I get a message asking yay or nay.
A teacher asked for his iPad today and returned it with Impero somehow installed. I received no authority requests so don’t know how they installed it. There’s nothing in his purchase history either so they must have plugged it into something?

Thanks for the offer Geeks- I’ll do some more research but might take you up on that when I know what questions to ask.

Just factory reset the device to be sure there is no MDM or anchored Apple Configurator Certificates installed. Then talk to the school. Impero is a legit bit of software and is for digital classrooms so it is pretty easy to see why the app is needed however thats not what the question here is.

You need to talk to the school and ask why you were not told about the need for it and also why teachers are using students devices to install software without consent.

Also have a talk with your son, no one other than you should have his passcode to unlock it. When I said there wasn't a way to install software I lied for simplicity there are a few ways but they all NEED his passcode, this isn't to blame your son, he was doing as a teacher told him but the whole security thing here is a teachable moment.