Whist schools are rolling out fingerprint systems in the UK, over in the USA it's also being brought in on a massive scale.
What is it with educationalists that makes them think it is acceptable to take a child's biometric data without even informing parents that they are going to do it. The same railroading tactics to finger scan the next generation are happening in the States as it is here in the UK.
If biometric technology is so great why not ask parents permission before their children's biometrics are taken and stored on a relatively insecure school computer?
Schools in Orlando didn't ask parents:
"Superintendent Bill Vogel said he had "indefinitely" delayed installation of finger scanners in lunchrooms at Hagerty High in Oviedo and Millennium Middle in Sanford. Officials say they jumped the gun by starting the scanning program without notifying parents or giving them a choice whether to have their children participate."
"There was not a letter sent out," Vogel said." - Why not? Here in the UK we have to sign permission slips for photographs taken, schools trips, food tasting, off site walks... why not biometric scans?
"I don't want to hear about this being a secure system or that it won't be used for anything else. No one can guarantee this," said Lisa Reese-Gordon in an e-mail complaint to Gov. Charlie Crist and school-district officials.
Look to recent law in Illinois, SB1702, which came into effect Aug this year states in section 5(B), page 4:
(5) A prohibition on the sale, lease, or other disclosure of biometric information to another person or entity, unless: (B) the disclosure is required by court order.
This could be law enforcement or government agencies.
Reese-Gordon, whose daughter attends Hagerty High, said there is"no educational purpose for the taking of fingerprints from children."
She's absolutely right. Biometric systems are purely used for administration purposes. Here in the UK children are the main proportion of the population using biometric systems.
If biometric systems are so time and cost effective why not use them routinely on the adult population? Why not in hospitals, civic centre, production lines, adult libraries, loyalties in stores, cash card authentication?
Why? Because adults question. In order for biometric systems to be efficient a large percentage take up of users would have to happen. But because we adults would question their use, who has access, how secure, etc. potential take up would be low and therefore not viable.
Children don't question, however parents would if we were asked - so we're not asked.
2 comments:
..What is it with educationalists that makes them think it is acceptable to take a child's biometric data without even informing parents that they are going to do it..
It could be because they are power mad control freaks.
Or:
Someone is holding a gun to their heads
I think uneducated educationlists, in this area, with statistics they have to produce for government has given the biotech market a free-for-all scramble on this!
It's purely for admin........ ?
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