Damned if we do, and damned if we don't. scheeeesch......
US fingerprints 'allied' visitors
by Simon 45 Replies latest social current
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donkey
screw it
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patio34
Donkey,
The term "anti-American" sure is bandied about for anyone who happens to disagree with almost anything America proposes. That's unneccessary insulting. Are we so insecure that we can't take some criticism without accusing people of being anti-American? It reminds me of our President's famous (infamous, imo) statement "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists." "Anti-American" is better used by a totalitarian government that allows no dissent of thought.
Americans sure do seem to hate being detained at other countries check-ins. So, if we're going to do it to others, we may as well get used to it, especially in countries who have terrorist problems.
LOL, I'd rather have this to fight terrorism than invading countries who had nothing to do with attacking NYC!! It's a LOT less trouble.
Pat
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donkey
screw it
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RevMalk
it's better than what I'd do if I ruled this country.
I'd lock the friggin borders and keep all of you out
:)
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plmkrzy
LMAO! Holy cow what will the complaints be next?
BIG FING DEAL!
Everytime I go through the airport I have to remember to remove my bra first or else I get thourghly searched due to underwire. SO FNG WHAT!
I'd rather be searched thourghly then have some retard waiting to claim his virgins get on board with me or anyone I hold dear to me because security was slacking off!
Simon what the hell do you want to come here for anyway? All you do is babble on and on about how screwed up we are.
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RevMalk
besides the fact that the UK will not follow Brazil, they'll follow the US (just like they always do) :)
Rev
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Sunnygal41
Simon, they already do..........when we are born!!!
I know, it sucks, but, what would you do if someone blew up Buckingham Palace or the House of Lords or some other large building of yours? I don't agree with it, but I understand the reasoning behind it. And, if other nations need to fingerprint US citizens then so be it! I know I'm not a terrorist or a lawbreaker, so what difference does it make?
Terri
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Utopian_Raindrops
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2144188.stm
Schools in fingerprinting row
Tens of thousands of children are being fingerprinted in school - often without the consent of their parents, a human rights group has complained.
Prints are taken for a library lending system which the makers say makes lending more efficient and less vulnerable to abuse.
But the pressure group Privacy International says the practice is illegal and breaches the human right to privacy.
Dangerous
One of the makers of the technology, Micro Librarian Systems (MLS), say they have sold about 1,000 systems to schools in the UK and abroad.
One mother from London told BBC News Online she was horrified when her son came home and told her he had been finger-printed at his primary school.
She said: "I consider that this was an infringement of my son's civil rights and a breach of trust on the part of the school.
"This should not have been done at all, and certainly not without our consent, or indeed knowledge.
"If my child had been arrested, I believe the police would not have a right to take fingerprints without our consent and access to a solicitor."
She said the new system may have been mentioned in a newsletter when her son was off sick, but she was never asked for consent.
The school has now removed her son's details from the system and says it will respect the wishes of other parents who want it to do the same.
Simon Davies, of the campaign group Privacy International says the practice of finger-printing children in this way is "dangerous, illegal and unnecessary".
He says the use of the technology should be banned in schools.
"It de-humanises our children and degrades their human rights," he said.
"Such a process has the effect of softening children up for such initiatives as ID cards and DNA testing.
"It's clearly a case of 'get them while they're young'.
"They are seen as a soft target for this technology".
Encrypted
Manufacturers MLS say it would be very difficult for a third party to access the prints and make use of them.
The company's technology director Stephen Phillips said: "The system does not store the actual fingerprint, but a map of it which takes in the print's key features.
"The image is then compressed and encrypted, so it would take a lot of effort to use it.
"People who have nothing to hide - why would they worry?"
Mr Phillips said the company advised schools to consult or inform parents before they used the technology.
He said only two parents had complained about the use of the technology to the company.
Privacy International says it expects there to be legal challenges to the use of the technology in schools.
But the government's information commissioner does not believe the system is breaking any laws or conventions.
Assistant to the commissioner, Phil Boyd said: "It is not in breach of the data protection act and it does not contravene the human rights act."
He said officials had been to check the system and thought it was impressive in terms of the security of the data.
"If it was being used to track pupils it would be different, but this use of the technology is fine," he said.
Officials at the Department for Education said the matter was one for head teachers and governing bodies, who had to ensure they stayed within the law.
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Utopian_Raindrops
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/12/facial.recognition.ap/index.html
School face scanner to search for sex offenders
Civil rights groups raise concerns
Friday, December 12, 2003 Posted: 9:55 AM EST (1455 GMT)
Story Tools YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Facial recognition Laws Education or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this? PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Face-scanning technology designed to recognize registered sex offenders and missing children has been installed in a Phoenix school in a pilot project that some law enforcement and education officials hope to expand.
Two cameras, which are expected to be operational next week, will scan faces of people who enter the office at Royal Palm Middle School. They are linked to state and national databases of sex offenders, missing children and alleged abductors.
An officer will be dispatched to the school in the event of a possible match, said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
"If it works one time, locates one missing child or saves a child from a sexual attack, I feel it's worth it," said Arpaio, a tough-talking sheriff who has previously gained notoriety for his chain gangs and prison-issued pink underwear.
Civil libertarians have raised red flags about the idea, pointing to potential privacy violations, and biometrics experts say facial recognition programs are not foolproof.
"There are huge privacy concerns. I'm also troubled by the fact that the technology is not proven," said Eleanor Eisenberg, executive director of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union.
Chengjun Liu, a professor and researcher of facial recognition technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said facial recognition software is promising but can have reliability issues.
Variables like lighting and facial expression can affect the accuracy of the applications, he said. "There are a lot of challenges," Liu said, but the systems do have potential.
Ken Kaplan, engineering director for Phoenix-based Hummingbird -- which donated the system at Royal Palm -- said most mug shots or snapshots can be used to accurately pinpoint a person. He said false positives are rare, but cautioned: "You can fool it. It's not perfect."
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne came out in support of the pilot program Thursday, saying he would seek funding for the cameras, which cost roughly $3,000 to $5,000, to be placed in every school in the state.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/12/facial.recognition.ap/index.html
