School fingerprinting

The Register reports that the UK Parliament will not be debating the growing practice of recording the personal biometric data of schoolchildren, despite questions over its legality. Jack Straw, the Leader of the House of Commons, said:

“I am not aware of the practice [of fingerprinting children at school], but obviously people have accepted it”.

If he doesn’t know about the subject, how can it be “obvious” that it’s accepted? Indeed, is it not ever more obvious that it is not accepted, with more and more parents objecting to the surreptitious fingerprinting of their children?

In view of this response, the reported comment from the Head of one of these fingerprinting schools is even more ominous. Chris Bridge, head teacher at Huntington Secondary School, told the York Press recently that to have their biometrics swiped at a young age prepared children for a world in which they would have to relinquish their personal privacy in exchange for security against terrorists.

Indeed, the Information Commissioner has said that it won’t be possible to declare such data gathering illegal – because it’s already so widespread. As though the wide commission of a offense makes it any less offensive! An Early Day Motion tabled by Greg Mulholland (LibDem schools spokesman) says:

Collecting the data from children under 12 without parental consent directly contravenes the Data Protection Act. No child should have biometric information taken without the express written permission of their parents”.

I hope that this issue gets properly debated, before things get out of hand. I’ve no objection in principle to schools using fingerprint systems. I do have a problem with using a sledgehammer to crack a nut (like using fingerprint scanners to secure libraries) or with blasé violation of data protection laws. These laws were framed for a reason: to protect us from overzealous governments, businesses and individuals who would misuse our personal data.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 3:06pm on 29 January 2007
Category: General, Politics