Friday, May 11, 2007

More from Kim Cameron

Kim Cameron has been blogging some more on this issue about the minutes of a school board meeting in Florida... here.

Apart from the old sales spiel "the biometric images cannot be used by law enforcement for identification purposes. Only a mathematical algorithm remains in the system after registration, not finger images." a new slant on the technology is explained in the sales pitch given to the schools board:

"The [lunch] cards become unsanitary, because the children put them in their mouths. To solve these problems, schools are using biometric scanners in the cafeteria. The student places their index finger on a scanner" and 100's children's fingers touching a scanner, then touching their food is more hygienic because...?

I don't think I want any other children's "biometrics" on my kids fingers just before they eat.

Apart from the hygiene issues, absolutely educational establishments should be given the bare facts not a sales pitch, but at the moment it seems a free for all for the vendors of school biometric systems with the industry taking our hard earned taxes in profits. Just think where better spent this money could be used to enhance our children's education.

Kim Cameron has this to say:

"It drives me nuts that people can just open their mouths and say anything they want about biometrics... without any regard for the facts. There should really be fines for this type of thing - rather like we have for people who pretend they're a brain surgeon and then cut peoples' heads open."

and on telling the truth "There should be accountability and penalties for those who consciously mislead people like the Marlin County school board, convincing them there is no risk to privacy by preying on their inability to understand technical issues."

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