RFID Chips in School Uniforms Track Students

Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:16AM EDT

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How would you feel about this: Tracking chips in kids' school clothing so that school officials can know their whereabouts during the school day?

Oh, it's happening. Ten students in a secondary school in the United Kingdom are being tracked through RFID implants in their school uniforms in a pilot program. Information Week reports that the kids attend Hungerhill School for ages 11-16 in Edenthorpe, England. 

Add the RFID chips to increased video surveillance and fingerprinting of kids, and this is a heavily tracked generation—for safety's sake.

That extra peace of mind for adults comes with a heavy loss of privacy for kids. Do you agree with David Clouter, a parent and founder of the children's advocacy group Leave Them Kids Alone, who says taking all these precautions has the effect of treating kids like criminals? Or do you agree with the parents who have OKed the pilot program who do not find it egregiously intrusive?

One possible side effect: Uniform sales may pick up as kids try to procure extra non-RFID-tagged clothing. As security expert Bruce Schneier writes on his blog: "So now it's easy to cut class; just ask someone to carry your shirt around the building while you're elsewhere."

LINK: U.K. Kids Get RFID Chips in School Uniforms [Information Week]

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  • 66 Posted by kristy_hardy24 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is a great thing, being a mother myself I would feel even more comfortable knowing where my child is a t all times. This device could even potentially save a child if abducted or something worse. We still need to understand that children are just that children, and should be monitored for thier own saftey. I can't imagine why any parent would be against more saftey measures for children in this day and age!!

  • 68 Posted by leonrabatic on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    No!!!! If you want to control anything -control my boot in your @@@ If kids are making trouble thats their own problem, less competition for me. If you want to solve the problem... Educate their parents. _The apple doesn't fall far from the tree_

  • 69 Posted by tseg72351 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    What a difficult situation parents today are faced with-Where exactly is the line and when and how is it crossed and..What ABOUT the safety of the child you love.Today it is a real jungle out there.How can a parent take measures to secure their childs safety when they are out of sight..I only say as I have said before-I feel blessed that my children are all grown up but..My beautiful Grands..??

  • 70 Posted by krystalque on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree lojack'em they belong to me while they are underage. I am responsible and I won't to know exactly what there are doing and when they are doing it.

  • 71 Posted by superjeni on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think that it's a great idea. We are always supposed to keep an eye on our kids aren't we. How is this any different. It is a great safety measurement. With the danger that children are in from all the sickos in this world, I for one would greatly appreciate this chip if my child went missing. What parent of a missing child wouldn't?

  • 72 Posted by cosette_2003 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    Kids aren't stupid, and RFID tags are notoriously easy to disable. If these kids don't want adults knowing where they are, they'll find a way. That said, it's horrible to track them like dogs. Those parents need to accept that the world is not a bubble; sometimes their kids will be less than perfectly safe or perfectly trackable, and THAT'S OKAY.

  • 73 Posted by katelayne39 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    what about the computer-geek-pedophile who turns the chips into ways to STALK those children? The school isn't the only one who will know the every movement of those kids....if someone can break into national security data bases...why would't they be able to scan and track children with microchips?

  • 74 Posted by dayjustyce on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    First the clothing,and then we will start microchipping our kids like we do our dogs.

  • 75 Posted by ranger_creed17 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree with surfwiththewaves, speranz, and agrampa. They want to monitor everything. why not put a meter over my mouth to tax the air I breath and a chip up my a$$ to make sure I'm eating what I should. like agrampa said if you read the bible it talks about the mark of the beast and how no one will be able to buy, sell, or trade without it. all these nicy nice programs that they push as "safety" are nothing but trial runs.

  • 76 Posted by livindedbtch on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm sorry but if you think back to when you were a child, you never would have stood for this and for most of us we turned out fine. This is just horrible to take a child's freedom. They should be ALLOWED to have a normal childhood, make mistakes and learn from them, if they know someone is watching their every move they won't learn a thing other than they have to be extra careful if they want to do something. Most of us wouldn't be successful, responsible people if we hadn't done some of the things we did in our past...I know I can say my child will NEVER wear anything that can track them. It's just not right.. Enough said.

  • 77 Posted by robertsmomma on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think that is an awesome thing.... We live in MD. A 4 year old girl around here was abducted from a church and molested. If it protects our kids so we at least know where they are in the event that an abduction happens --- parents/authorities would be able to find these children quicker --- I'm for it. Our world has changed for the worse since we were all children.

  • 78 Posted by bigwheelhome on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    How long will it take them to figure out how to electocute the chip? It's like parking tickets over 20.00 in this country. You have the right to a jury trial and if everyone required one they would stop, just make the cost to high and the opposing party always backs down.

  • 79 Posted by michael_marti06 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    this imposes on the younger generation and they are GUARANTEED to rebel against having a chip that has gps in it to track them... i wouldn't want to be followed by some person by computer, EVER

  • 80 Posted by new333reddjan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am a mother of a 13 yr. old daughter and I am appalled. Once this seems like the norm, inserting them into their bodies will be next. Can anyone say AntiChrist?

  • 81 Posted by rastejo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    who cares anyway? these kids will find a way!!

  • 82 Posted by dorsaskater on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Most of you never saw this coming. I did. I'm sorry for you guys. It's been planned for a while. It must be stopped. They plan on putting it in everyones lives so that EVERYONE will be controlled. Spread the word. Write to your Congress Man. Do anything to stop it. It's the biggest threat to ever hit the world. Please, we need to make a stop to it.

  • 83 Posted by slug1369 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    HELLO 'BIG BROTHER' THIS BOOK SHOULD MAKE US THINK MORE ABOUT WERE WE ARE AND WERE WE'RE GOING WITH ALL THIS MISUSED TECHNOLOGY. NOTICE HOW WE VOLUNTEER.

  • 84 Posted by leftlibertarian on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    i cant wait till i get my rfid. that way if i run from the draft to fight the war on terror they can track me down and kill me.

  • 85 Posted by d_gray_77 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'd call it insanity, but it's worse than that. Where did privacy, and freedom and liberty go? This is treating everyone as if they are criminals. This is truly a sad state of affairs.

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