When I first saw the title to this article I thought cool, but knew right away it was going to head down a slippery slope to creepy town. Apparently some school libraries in the United Kingdom are beginning to use fingerprint scans instead of the traditional library card. This of course causes all kinds of concerns about privacy and safety. There seems to be only mild interest for similar setups here in the U.S., but I'm sure its only time. The article did mention that some schools use fingerprint scanners for their lunch programs. To be honest I'm not sure why there is a need to use a fingerprint to check out library books. I know kids might lose a library card but are fingerprint scanners really necessary?
So the biggest concern is what happens if this information gets into the wrong hands. Schools would need to address how the data is saved, where, and for how long. As the article points out credit card numbers can be replaced, but someones fingerprint cannot. So if this information is compromised in some way it could have repercussions for years to come. A kind of scary example is the company that use to run the Clear program in airports. This program allowed members to bypass much of the security at airports. The data collected for members included fingerprint and iris scans. Well this company went bankrupt and sold all the data to another company that hopes to revive the program. It is scary to think that your fingerprints can be bought and sold. Of course members submitted this information voluntarily, but I'm sure known of them thought it would be juggled around in this way. The good news is the new company has given clients the option of deleting their information, but as we all know it is hard to know if this data will ever be fully deleted from all storage devices or if it has been compromised already.
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Knowing that encryption and computer security are part of an arms race between security specialists and hackers, it is hard to understand how the school can justify its decision to use this form of identification by saying it is heavily encrypted. I realize it is more convenient for children to be able to use identification they have with them at all times, as opposed to having to remember a card or a number, but I'm not sure convenience is worth the associated risk.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned about my students' digital footprints. Now it’s a digital fingerprint! Teenagers today will be the most surveyed generation of all time. Many of them volunteer way too much information. We have to help our children understand the risks associated with giving out private information. It is unethical for libraries to collect social security numbers or fingerprints. We don’t need that information. I plan to make all my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students watch the Choose Privacy Week video.
ReplyDeleteWow! Since cell phones are now used for internet, music, texting, etc., it is scary to think that we may use our fingerprints for buying lunch and checking out library books. Maybe someday I will buy a car using my fingerprint. :( My fiance has (and many of you may have) a laptop that has a place for identifying fingerprints. Instead of putting in a password, he can swipe his finger to login. If people have access to fingerprints, what all information can they get?
ReplyDeleteTo me, this actually seems less secure than a password. I have horror images now of all the Die Hard-ish kinds of movies where the bad guy simply slices off the hand or finger and uses it to access whatever technological item he wants to. In truth, that's easier to do than to ferret out a person's password, as long as the password is a good one.
ReplyDeleteWait - the article doesn't mention how this information could be misused if it falls into the "wrong hands." Could your fingerprint be faked on a biometric scanner if someone gets ahold of it?
ReplyDeleteLike Tonya, I also thought of the movies. However, I was thinking of someone creating a duplicate fingerprint. I don't remember the movie, but the character lifted a print with tape, created a reverse mold, and then made a "glove" for their finger with the print on it. If this technology isn't available now, I'm sure it won't take long for it to come around. If you had something like this, you could get into people's laptops, bank accounts, and bypass airport security!
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