Debate continues over the use of facial recognition software in schools. It has the potential to make schools safer and to better follow students’ attendance. However there are also a variety of privacy concerns. This article from The Hill in the US reports on how the New York legislature has banned the use of facial recognition software in schools for 2 years.
The moratorium, approved by both the state Assembly and Senate, follows an attempt by a school district in upstate New York to install the controversial technology at its schools.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) had filed a lawsuit forcing the state education department to block Lockport school district from adopting facial recognition systems to screen people entering campuses.
Privacy advocates have celebrated its passage.
“We’ve said for years that facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies have no place in schools, and this is a monumental leap forward to protect students from this kind of invasive surveillance," NYCLU Education Policy Center Deputy Director Stefanie Coyle said in a statement.
Chalkface will continue to follow global developments on the use of this type of software in schools. What do you think? Do the safety considerations outweigh the privacy concerns?
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