There is a clear line separating the government’s role as
the protector of the public and its potential role as a
technological and moral Big Brother.
The Northern Californian Brittan Elementary School
District’s decision to use radio frequency tracking devices
on students crosses that boundary.
Created by a company named Incom, the tracking devices are
attached to a name tag worn by all students. When scanned, the tag
transmits a unique ID code which can be referenced by a central
computer.
The tracking system potentially allows the school to determine
if students are in attendance during class and if they went into a
bathroom or the cafeteria. Teachers have a PDA which allows them to
view the data as it is transmitted and recorded.
According to its promoters, the system would allow attendance
record keeping to be automated and could improve the security of
the campus and students. School administrators said one of the
system’s advantages is that they can easily determine who
isn’t wearing a radio-tracking ID tag, enhancing security on
the campus.
The school district said the system will help them track people
on campus, but the system can only track the ID tag, which are
easily removed, and an intruder wouldn’t be wearing one in
the first place.
And as for automating attendance records, it might save the
teacher a few minutes of time, but is keeping track of students
with a pencil and paper really so difficult? And it seems that the
system could be easily abused ““ for example, a student could
potentially cover for a classmate by carrying his or her ID in a
pocket.
Another problem with the tracking program is how the idea got
off the ground in the first place. According to Wired magazine, the
system was developed by two local high school teachers and then
donated to the school board along with a donation of a few thousand
dollars to cover any possible “disruptions.” It seems
hard to believe the system would have been adopted without the
special relationship of its creators and the school district. Not
to mention it almost seems as if the teachers are using the school
as their testing field.
But regardless of why it was adopted, it is a bad idea.
As it is, Americans don’t have much privacy compared to 50
years ago. Cell phones with GPS, ATM cards and the Internet can all
be used to track movement and behavior patterns. With a court order
““ or a malicious hack ““ it is possible to know where
almost anyone is, and what they are doing. ATM cards, cell phones
and the Internet are all used by choice ““ but for these
students, the tracking is compulsory. These students face
disciplinary action if they show up to school without their
IDs.
Tracking students is yet another step toward a world where there
is no privacy and little freedom. Tracking ““ especially
real-time radio tracking ““ is a slippery slope. It might
start with tracking attendance, but if it becomes common it could
be abused to include intrusive monitoring.
Perhaps the teachers at Brittan Elementary should read up on
their George Orwell. He tried to teach humans a lesson about the
horrors of living in a society that is too intrusive. Apparently
that lesson has not gotten through.