Source: EDP 24
Fingerprint recognition systems and mathematical algorithms may sound like something from a hi-tech spy film. But for pupils at a Lowestoft school, they are to become simply part of the daily routine of ordering their school dinners.

The new technology is part of a “cashless catering” drive, giving students the opportunity to pay on account and avoid the daily scramble for dinner money. From next Tuesday, Kirkley High School will use biometric fingerprinting to identify each of the school’s 1300 pupils when they make their food orders. Once pupils’ digits have been scanned, canteen staff will have instant access to their account which will be pre-paid by their parents, or topped up at “reval” machines in the school. Parents will be able to control the amount of money available and even place conditions on what kind of food their children should be eating.

Yesterday, pupils from years nine, 10 and 12 had their right index fingers scanned, and saw their fingerprints converted into a mathematical algorithm to be stored on the system. The school’s IT manager, Toby Hacker, said: “The scan plots up to 45 points on the fingerprint, then turns them into a long, unique number, like a barcode. Only this number will be stored, not the image itself, so there can be no worry of anyone passing fingerprint information on. We believe we’re one of the first schools in this area to use this technology.”

The system will also allow parents to monitor the food choices of their children through a database stored in the computer’s memory. Headteacher, John Clinton, said: “We are a sports college, so developing healthy lifestyles for our students is a particular issue for us. The cashless catering system gives us the ability to influence where they eat and what they eat. We would introduce the controls very gently, but ultimately it will be the parents who control what their children’s diet is.”

Starting from next autumn’s year nine intake, pupils will also be banned from leaving the site at lunchtime to restrict their access to fast food. Students had mixed opinions on the new regime. Fifteen-year-old Tom Tillett, of Old Farm Road, Lowestoft, said: “It is a good idea that people don’t have to carry money around. If you had £20 at the start of the week you might just waste it all.” Laura French, 15, of Salisbury Road, Lowestoft, said: “I think it is a bad idea. People should be able to eat what they want.” The pioneering new meals system, developed in partnership with Suffolk County Catering, marks the first step towards a potential £5m redevelopment of the school’s canteen.

Deputy headteacher, John Shanahan, said: “We are working closely with Suffolk County Council to create a brand new, state-of-the-art, eco-friendly dining space. The school strongly believes that the dining experience is central to the life of the school, and that the experience could and does affect the ethos and culture of the school.” As well as the security benefit of removing the need for cash in school, it is also hoped that the system will create equality among pupils at meal times, as students claiming free meal entitlements could have their accounts credited anonymously. The cashless revolution in the region’s schools was first reported by the EDP in March, when Taverham Middle School in Norwich became one of the first in the county to launch a pay-on-account service.

Comment: “Only this number will be stored, not the image itself, so there can be no worry of anyone passing fingerprint information on” is such a load of deceptive bullshit it would be surprising if anyone buys it. Storage of digital fingerprints is always done by converting a physical image scan of a fingerprint into a set of numbers. Remember how computers store everything in ones and zeros? Well, this is the exact same thing. So yes, full fingerprint details are stored because the number can be used by a system compatible with its algorithm can be used to check the fingerprints.

Source: Canada Gazette
Around the world, biometric identifiers are used at airports and border crossings in machine-readable documents such as passports and driver’s licences. Police and security services rely on digitized data banks of fingerprints in watch lists and companies access them for checks on prospective employees. Increasingly, people are required to present a biometric to enter buildings, access a laptop or database, get a library book or claim a meal. Whether all this is good or bad is the subject of intense debate. Those most fearful of biometric technologies warn they are accelerating the trend toward a surveillance society that gained momentum after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Advocates respond biometrics will enhance security, help governments deliver improved services more efficiently and make it easier for citizens to navigate the online world of e-commerce and e-government. [more]

Source: CTV Canada
A Nova Scotia family has inadvertently been on Internet “candid camera” for months without their knowledge. Dale Gass became their peeping tom by accident. “It is kind of disturbing these videos are being sent to me. It’s an invasion of privacy,” he said.

Gass used to own a wireless security camera. Unfortunately, it is now installed in the family’s house, and no one seemed to have a clue where they lived. “Thankfully they are a nice wholesome family, not doing anything too shocking,” he said. Gass’s former camera sends an e-mail image every time it senses motion. He was unsatisfied by the product and returned it to the retailer, but forgot to remove his e-mail address from its software. Someone else bought the camera, but apparently didn’t put in their own e-mail address, so now the camera is sending him images from their house.

“I received them at the rate of two to 10 a day,” Gass said. Staples Canada said it warns stores to make sure this particular model of camera is fully erased before resale. However, retailer Tim Walker pointed the finger at Gass. “The onus is on him to make sure that camera had been reset,” Walker said. No matter who’s to blame, one privacy expert said the case is yet another cautionary tale for consumers. “It also raises the question of how many other cases are happening without other people know about it,” said Philippa Lawson of the University of Ottawa’s Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. Gass eventually put out a public appeal and located the family.

Terence Drake has posted a very interesting piece on FaceBook and highlights some of their so-called privacy policy that most people are probably unaware of: The so-called “Privacy Policy” of Facebook includes a statement saying that they “may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship.” It goes on to say that, “We may be required to disclose customer information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law or to protect our interests or property. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.”

Source: Euractive
The European Parliament, on 7 June 2007, backed proposals to set up a European Visa Information System (VIS), set to be the world’s largest biometric database. The text is the result of an agreement with Council so the legislative process has been completed at the first reading stage - however, detractors claim that the system heralds the ever-encroaching ‘Big Brother’ threat to citizen privacy, and the Conservatives have called for Britain to opt out.

Source: WYFF4
PENDLETON, S.C. — A Pendleton woman is suing her landlord, accusing the management company of violating her privacy by using sound-and-video surveillance equipment at her apartment compex.

Judy Johnson said that she and other residents of the Pendleton Garden Apartments no longer feel comfortable living there. Johnson declined an on-camera interview with WYFF News 4, but her attorney said that she is “very upset about it. Very concerned.”

Charles Griffin said that Ambling Management is using a camera with a microphone to monitor activity at the apartment complex. Griffin said that the main issue in the lawsuit is sound monitoring, as privacy laws generally prohibit using electronic devices to listen in on conversations unless at least one of the parties involved in a conversation agrees. “Audio is the main thrust of the … cause of action,” Griffin said, accusing Ambling of “endeavoring to intercept the oral communication of Ms. Johnson and other residents living at the apartment complex.”

Griffin said that Johnson learned about the audio monitoring when she was at the management office one day. “She was in the office one day and heard a car crank up,” Griffin said. “She inquired about how she could hear that.” Griffin said that the office employees explained that cameras at the complex were monitoring the area. Griffin said that an investigator he hired found a camera in an outside area. The camera was “smaller than a man’s palm and very difficult to spot.” There is no indication of cameras monitoring any activity inside any apartments, Griffin said.

Griffin said that the management posted a sign at the entrance to the complex warning about video surveillance at the complex several weeks after Johnson said she learned about the video and audio monitoring. WYFF News 4 contacted Ambling Management, but a spokesperson declined an opportunity to comment on the case. Griffin said he is hoping to turn Johnson’s case into a class-action lawsuit, asking for $100 per day for the privacy violation or $10,000, whichever is greater.

Bryan Glick at computing.co.uk has published an article calling for the pessimism over new technology to end. Brian provides a pop quiz with the following;

• On identity cards – are they a) an inevitable part of a 21st century society that help to improve security and reduce identity theft or b) Big Brother in your wallet.
• On CCTV – is it a) an unfortunate but necessary tool for reducing street crime and not a problem if you are a law-abiding citizen or b) Big Brother up a lamp post.
• On smart electricity meters – are they a) an essential way to better monitor and manage your household energy use and reduce carbon emissions or b) Big Brother in your home.
• On radio frequency identification (RFID) – is it a) a way to reduce supply chain costs, cut retail prices and cut supermarket queues or b) Big Brother in your underpants.

And goes on to write;

“I have often heard the argument that the danger with something like identity cards is how do we know a future government might not want to use the information in ways we can not foresee. Frankly, if we find ourselves with a government that thinks that way, ID cards will be the least of our worries“.

What Bryan fails to mention is that a growing number of people are, indeed, seeing such a government being formed and created and know that if you allow it to be created it will be too late to be pessimistic.