Schools call halt to facial scanning of children amid fears over privacy
THE use of facial recognition software to scan pupils in school canteens has been suspended over privacy concerns.
Last week, nine schools in North Ayrshire became the first in the UK to use the system long-term.
It came after a pilot project was run in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, last year.
The system was designed to make the payment process for meals quicker and more hygienic than using cards or fingerprint scanners.
However, the programme has been paused days after its launch after concerns were raised by privacy campaigners and the Information Commissioner’s
‘Paused the payment system’
Office (ICO), the UK data watchdog. The ICO responded to the plans by saying that organisations should consider a ‘less intrusive’ approach where possible.
In a statement, North Ayrshire Council said yesterday: ‘We have temporarily paused the contactless payment system, which uses facial recognition, in our secondary schools while we consider and respond to the inquiries received.
‘Whilst we are confident the new facial recognition system is operating as planned, we felt it prudent to revert to the previous PIN (personal identification number) system while we consider the inquiries.’
The statement said it was hoped an update would follow soon. A total of 97 per cent of children or their parents had given consent for the system, the council said. Parents have to opt in for children to use the technology, which had been introduced after the halfterm break.
The system scanned the faces of children at lunch tills and checked the images against a register of faces stored on school servers.
Information supplied to parents by the council said: ‘Pupils simply select their meal, look at the camera and go, making for a faster lunch service whilst removing any contact at the point of sale.
‘Pupils no longer need to carry any form of identification such as a card or even enter a personal identification number.
‘School meal payments are instantly reflected in the pupil’s cashless accounts.’
Campaign group Big Brother Watch, which wrote to schools in the area urging them to drop the scheme, described the decision as ‘fantastic news’. An ICO spokesman said: ‘Data protection law provides additional protections for children, and organisations need to carefully consider the necessity and proportionality of collecting biometric data before they do so.’
This year, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) drew up proposals that explored using cameras and ‘lockdown’ software to stop children cheating in exams at home.
It suggested that before a remote assessment, candidates should show identification over the video link and suggested ‘online tools that use facial recognition software – useful for high-stakes assessment where candidates are not well known to the centre’.
The SQA had said it provided advice and resources to support centres in considering options around remote assessments.