Child's school asking for biometric data

[DyslexiaNightmare]

Fingerprint data and facial recognition. Is this widespread? How is it even allowed? Children can't consent to giving biometric data. It's not for me to give away. Even if it is to a school.

How difficult will it make things due to the fact that I'm not consenting to this?

It's not reached any schools where I live but I wouldn't be bothered about it.

Can you just say no?

We have both. They don't store the fingerprint so it can't be stolen as data, an algorithm is used to generate a code from it that is linked to the child's lunch money account. Even if the codes are stolen, there is no way to generate a fingerprint from it, as it only reads 6 or 8 points. Same with facial recognition, it's used to generate a code, the code is stored, but no way to back calculate the face.

Schools have photos on SIMS usually to verify that students are who they say they are, but it's just a straight photo file.

We have finger biometrics. It used for lunches and by the LRC for book loans

I would not agree to this because I am not 100% confident about the security of any school's IT system. Which is no slight on the school or any of the staff who work there.

Thank goodness my children were adult before the current craziness that seems to be the modern education system.

I would also say no purely because of the data security issues. I wouldn't trust them to be able to keep the data safe and to wipe it when the children leave. Data gathering is too addictive for some.

There's set timeframes for the storage of data - and frankly, with the cost of servers or cloud storage, there are far more important things to be taking up space than the biometric codes for people who are now in their thirties.

Until they are hacked or the Govt requests the data for its own purposes.

If you really believe that the data is secure then good for you.

They'd have a job as I've just cleared it off the server to make way for the next cohort.

Just deleting doesn't mean that data cannot be recovered.

Did you also delete all the back ups and made sure that backed up data isn't copied elsewhere as well (which is should be if the back ups are worth anything).

How securely are they kept? And for how long and who else has access to them? I've restored computer files from back ups many times and I'm no expert. I do know enough though to know that a digital record can be very persistent and it is naive to assume otherwise.

This.
They aren't storing the actual fingerprint or face.
they generate a code from it.
Nothing to worry about in my opinion.

Amazing people are so anxious about this but put real faces on social media. As others have said no way to go back to the original print- and if anyone wants my child's fingerprint that's not hard to find... be more careful about meaningful data and less anxious about this

I didn't like it either OP. This has been in place since my DD started high school.

Because i didnt like the fingerprint idea, DD16 always had a card provided by the school (that we credited with money) to buy her dinners. She would just swipe it at the till.

She was the only one in her whole year who wasn't using a fingerprint.

I refused consent and the school implemented a workaround. The reason my daughter gave was that it would be an impediment if she ever wished to embark upon a career as a spy or master criminal.

Surely this is nothing new? When I was at school in the early 2000s we used fingerprints in the primary school library.

Amazing people are so anxious about this but put real faces on social media
Not necessarily the same people though.....

You can't reverse engineer fingerprints?
Can you?

So if someone had a bit of fingerprint data, they couldn't use that data to gain access elsewhere...

I don't think - maybe someone else knows better?

I've never heard of this... Didn't know it was a thing. I'm in my 30s with DC at school although they are still at the free school lunch age.

I don't like the idea of it to be honest. Also unsure how well it would work, certainly I have major issues with fingerprint scanners. When I go to America I have to get ink fingerprints taken. I can't use it on my phone. Also don't use facial recognition.

I haven't heard of this, all I know is that I put money on Parent Pay. I'll ask my daughter, she's in Year 5 at middle school. At first school, the dinner nannies knew them all and marked them down.

Fingers generally don't get lost or stolen.

It's not a full fingerprint and it is just one finger.

It's a bloody nuisance when you are doing 1 day supply and forgot to take your lunch.

My DB worked on this kind of technology for a while. When it was introduced at DDs secondary school I chatted to him about it. There really is not an issue, the data can't be back engineered. And it is so much more convenient.

It’s used to buy school dinners in our school. No biggie

Surprised why so many people are funny about it, like someone else said probably half of these same people have photos of their child online etc. If you don’t want the school to have your child’s finger print (one finger) then don’t, send a packed lunch every day, and explain to your child what is it that concerns you about a school having their finger print - eg what do you think they are going to be able to do with it etc.

I’m amazed at how trusting people are of third party companies and their security

You are dealing with mass storing of biometrics of a generation here plus their names. What could possibly go wrong?!

No we aren't.

They are storing names an a number code.
They don't even know which finger it applies to.