In these days of increased worry about security and safety at schools, this recent article from the BBC raises some interesting dilemmas. A trial of facial recognition software recently carried out in Sweden involved tracking 22 students over three weeks and detecting when each pupil entered a classroom. The local authority that was responsible for the trial reported that teachers had been spending 17,000 hours a year reporting attendance, and the authority had decided to see whether facial-recognition technology could speed up the process.
Parental consent had been gained for all the students that were tracked.
Should this type of technology be allowed in schools? It does improve safety and security, and could warn of potential trespassers on school grounds. However, there is the question of privacy rights. Should people be tracked electronically through software like this?
These are difficult questions that will need to be answered as this type of technology becomes more readily available.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
