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Wired reports on the opening to third parties of England's national-pupil-database:
Data relating to every school pupil in England is now available for use by private companies thanks to a change in legislation implemented last year. The move is part of a wider government initiative to "marketise" data, which includes initiatives such as the much-criticised Care.data and the selling off of taxpayer data by HMRC.
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English School Data Available to Private Firms
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(Score: 2) by juggs on Wednesday April 30 2014, @03:18AM
The police fingerprinting thing is not new - I experienced the same thing in the UK in mid - late primary school around 35 or so years ago. Police liaison officer comes and gives a talk, explaining the real basics of forensics essentially - I probably found it interesting. Then encourage the kids to get all inked up and daub their prints followed by some looking at the different shapes and patterns, compare with your friends' prints etc.
Bearing in mind this was usually an entire school year (120 - 150 kids in my case) at a time running around with inky fingers daubing each others' cards, faces, shirts etc. I find it hard to believe (cynical as I am) that it was some surreptitious means to gather comprehensive fingerprint data, it was just far too chaotic.
For sure there is some mental tomfoolery going on in this scenario, but it's along the lines of getting a large roomful of kids to sit still long enough to listen to a police person for a while - have a little fun along the way to foster engagement with and understanding of the subject.
Of course the takeaway for the kids is intended to be that the police aren't scary, they're not out to get you, in fact they will help when you need them - but remember they can track you down if you're naughty. I don't think that is widely off the mark as a takeaway for primary age kids - as far as UK policing goes at least. (Sure there are exceptions).
If you have a concern, contact your son's school and ask for the name of the liaison officer who attended - with schools being as paranoid as they are these days they will have that, his warrant ID and his base station at least. Then contact the liaison officer (or get the school to ask them to contact you if they are wormy about releasing the details) or station and request an informal meeting to discuss the matter. As a liaison officer they'll likely not require you go to the station to see them (if that gets the hackles up), they may come to you or even meet up for a coffee some place.
Is it indoctrination to authority? I see it more as a reality check. We live in a society with rules, those rules are enforced - if rules weren't enforced there would be no point those rules existing. Sounds like an ideal time to introduce the young'un to the concept of law, why it exists, why and how it gets enacted and why and how some mendacious scum manage to manipulate what ends up being enacted.
As for "sharing" health records - that's clearly coming one way or another like an unstoppable tsunami (the send an unhelpful opt-out if you care leaflet in a bundle of other Royal Mail delivered junk drop was just the first attempt to whitewash it as passive agreement - reminiscent of A Hitchiker's Guide planning notification process). My MP seems unable to inform me who the 3rd parties privy to the information may be.
I fear it is too late - the Smörgåsbord of information on the citizens of the kingdom is here for the usual high bidders to feast upon.
(Score: 1) by Webweasel on Wednesday April 30 2014, @08:20AM
Yup, your pretty much spot on.
I guess my objection is a reflection of my own dealings with the police over the years. I have never been in serious trouble, but the few encounters I have had have been rather unpleasant. Being ignored after being mugged. Being ignored when my car is broken into. Being screamed at for driving slightly to fast. Being stopped in traffic for 2 hours on the A2 so I can be told my fog lights are on and harassed when pointing out that the highway code says fog lights are yellow lenses and what I have are driving lights. Yeah traffic cops don't even know the law. Chief Wigum says "The police have no power to help you, only punish you" and that's pretty much my experience too.
I'm in the don't talk to the police, don't co-operate, and am in the "are you detaining me or am I free to go?" camp.
Its getting the balancing act right. I should be able to trust the police. I should be able to encourage my kids to trust the police. Life experience taught me this is the wrong approach, so unfortunately I cannot encourage my kids to trust them either. I should reach my kids to respect the police, but then the police should be respectable.
I actually know the liaison officer and the local PCSO's quite well. My Dad is active on the local council and lead officer of our local retained fire service. I have a good relationship with these guys, but I still don't trust them and am very careful what I say around them.
Were way off topic now, but my real concern is the acceptance that it's OK to give up biometric data. If 8 year old's think the school and police should have their finger prints, then they accept that invasion of privacy without question. By the time they reach adulthood, its so accepted as normal behavior that it becomes hard to convince them otherwise. "It's fine, its always been like this". That's what really concerns me.
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