2009NOV131610
Check out Renewin' Strathewen
Check out Work @ Dads
Finger scanner to keep track of students
"... A spokesman for the department says the software complies with the department's confidentiality and privacy codes, and does not record fingerprint images. ..."
This statement is a bit deceptive because no images are stored but a binary fingerprint is stored somewhere. Enough to identify each individual for the process to work. Using fingerprints for students is also open to attack [0]. Iris-scans would be harder to tamper with and a lot cooler. Probably a bit too cool for mere school students. And of course the obvious question. Has any asked why a roll call with teacher, pen & paper doesn't work?
a bit later...
@Bioauthenticator "... These systems are safe, secure and private. ..."
Spoken like a vendor.
Safe
In what sense? You don't cut your finger when you use them? Or safe in that nobody else can gain access to the biometric data and mis-use it later on?
Secure
Spend enough money and you might get hardware that is difficult to spoof. But we know how tight the budget is in NSW at the moment. [1] Is it connected to outside systems or applications? How is the data transported? You can secure systems but it's not a one off cost.
Private
Any system that stores digital information by nature can be exported, retrieved. What is to say at some time in the future all data taken (biometric and collected) at these schools are distributed to other government departments. Is there anything technically stopping biometric information being stored with CrimTrac [2] for instance? What about attendance at school stored with Human Services to work out why students might not be attending school or at Centrelink for future profiling purposes?
This isn't a technology problem. It's a rights problem. identifying data is being collected for questionable reasons with the potential for abuse. No justifiable reason is reported.
Reference
[0] itechnews, "How To: Hack a Fingerprint Scanner: MythBusters of Discovery Channel shows us how to hack a fingerprint scanner. Can a photocopy of fingerprint work?"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
www.itechnews.net/2007/04/23/how-to-hack-a-fingerprint-sc...
[1] news.smh.com.au, AAP (reporter uncredited), "NSW budget to plunge into bigger deficit"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-budget-to-plun...
[2] computerworld.com, Michael Crawford, "Australian state police eye fingerprint biometrics"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
www.computerworld.com/s/article/105427/Australian_state_p...
next >>>
2009NOV131610
Check out Renewin' Strathewen
Check out Work @ Dads
Finger scanner to keep track of students
"... A spokesman for the department says the software complies with the department's confidentiality and privacy codes, and does not record fingerprint images. ..."
This statement is a bit deceptive because no images are stored but a binary fingerprint is stored somewhere. Enough to identify each individual for the process to work. Using fingerprints for students is also open to attack [0]. Iris-scans would be harder to tamper with and a lot cooler. Probably a bit too cool for mere school students. And of course the obvious question. Has any asked why a roll call with teacher, pen & paper doesn't work?
a bit later...
@Bioauthenticator "... These systems are safe, secure and private. ..."
Spoken like a vendor.
Safe
In what sense? You don't cut your finger when you use them? Or safe in that nobody else can gain access to the biometric data and mis-use it later on?
Secure
Spend enough money and you might get hardware that is difficult to spoof. But we know how tight the budget is in NSW at the moment. [1] Is it connected to outside systems or applications? How is the data transported? You can secure systems but it's not a one off cost.
Private
Any system that stores digital information by nature can be exported, retrieved. What is to say at some time in the future all data taken (biometric and collected) at these schools are distributed to other government departments. Is there anything technically stopping biometric information being stored with CrimTrac [2] for instance? What about attendance at school stored with Human Services to work out why students might not be attending school or at Centrelink for future profiling purposes?
This isn't a technology problem. It's a rights problem. identifying data is being collected for questionable reasons with the potential for abuse. No justifiable reason is reported.
Reference
[0] itechnews, "How To: Hack a Fingerprint Scanner: MythBusters of Discovery Channel shows us how to hack a fingerprint scanner. Can a photocopy of fingerprint work?"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
www.itechnews.net/2007/04/23/how-to-hack-a-fingerprint-sc...
[1] news.smh.com.au, AAP (reporter uncredited), "NSW budget to plunge into bigger deficit"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-budget-to-plun...
[2] computerworld.com, Michael Crawford, "Australian state police eye fingerprint biometrics"
[Accessed Friday, 13th November 2009]
www.computerworld.com/s/article/105427/Australian_state_p...
next >>>