April 11th, 2007
UK politicians call for limits on student fingerprinting
The UK is seeing a backlash to education authorities scanning student fingerprints without asking parents' permission, reports PC Pro.
Fingerprint systems are used in schools to allow students to access libraries and cafeterias. Seventeen thousand schools covering 5.9 million children have scanned and stored students fingerprints, but some are doing it without direct permission from parents.
"We need a code of practice to stop schools taking this most private information without even asking parents," said shadow home affairs minister, Damian Green. "We also need to ensure that the information is not available to hackers or outside bodies, and that the information will be destroyed when pupils have left the school."
The Conservative Party has stated that student information needs to be encrypted so children cannot be identified using the fingerprint database, and all information should be destroyed when the child leaves the school.
"If parents have given permission, this is acceptable, but only on strict conditions that every school should follow."
This type of technology needs to be strictly regulated, said Liberal Democrat education spokesman Sarah Teather.
"The government needs to respond to the concerns of parents and teachers and produce strict regulations for using this technology in schools. An awful lot of people are washing their hands of responsibility of this issue while this practice spreads unregulated."
