Fingerprints in School

[Drusilla1S]

Are they using or planning to use this library finger printing scheme in your child's school without your permission? Do you view this as a softening up of our children to even further state intrusion into their lives?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/07/22/finger printing_of_uk_school_kids/

[noxlumos]

Whilst this doesn't affect us at the moment directly as we home educate, if my children were still attending school I would have gone into orbit about this and not permitted them to take part. Thankfully my kids have always been bollshi enough even from 5 years old to tell a teacher that they were refusing to co-operate but I daresay countless kids who didn't want their fingerprints taken have been bullied into it by teachers. I hope this misguided Govt goes, and goes quickly before I'm forced to move abroad to get away from the intrusion into our privacy. Amazing how paper library cards have worked for 300 years or so, and now suddenly they're an unworkable system just about the same time that the Govt wants all your biometric data. Stuff this for a game of soldiers, but it's nice to know that the people of this country have rumbled them and are objecting loud and clear.

[Drusilla1S]

I have to apologise as I've only just noticed this was from an article in 2002. It is still the first I've heard of it though, so I'm now interested to know if this scheme was shelved as quietly as it was introduced. It does make me all the more suspicious about the 'softening up aspect' with regards to our children, though.

[Catso]

I believe it was introduced (or attempted) in one or two places but was then quietly dropped following public outcry. Never heard of it since then.

[missjef]

the school i went to in north yorkshire, has had this for quite a while now where you have to put your thumb on a fingerprint scanner to take a book out and such like. i dont think anyone had a problem with it, most of the kids actualy thought it was quite cool.
i dont remember anyone refusing to do it. i think they sent letters home to make sure the parents were aware of the new system.
i dont see what the big problem with it is.

[~Wingnut~]

Hi Drusilla

They do this at my daughter's school but they sent letter's home first asking for our permission for our child's finger print to be taken and put on record.
Although I can't really see the harm in doing this, I find it a bit off to not get the parent's permission first.

[Loosehead]

Missjef : "i dont see what the big problem with it is."

Now that IS worrying!

[Booldawg]

they will try anything to get your fingerprints under 'innocent' guises such as library book rental systems. My fingerprints are on file despite never having commited a crime due to a system at work used to log into the computer network via a card system. The irony is that the cards are operated via a pin number and biometrics dont even play a part!

[missjef]

loosehead - i think there is nothing wrong with using this as a library system providing that they send letters home first.

[Drusilla1S]

I think Looseheads concern missjef is the civil liberties issue. Once your fingerprints have been given, are they safeguarded against misuse and are they freely available to the police?