Students Tracked By RFID

TheMeuge writes "The New York Times is reporting a new development in the unrelenting progress of the RFID juggernaut. The school district of Spring, Texas has adopted RFID as a way to track students' arrival and departure. Upon being scanned, the data are transmitted to both the school administrators, as well as city police. I guess cutting class is no longer an option."

barcode

If you want to track people, why not just tattoo a bar code on the forehead.

Cutting Class

It should be easier to cut class now. Just give your tag to your buddy, and the school's computers will think your there.

Re:Cutting Class

That won't be a problem once the subdermal tags arrive.

Insanity

If I were still in High School I think i would be scared of this. RFID technology seems great for tracking shippments and such, but to track students like this seem pretty insane.

Re:Insanity

Well, the thing is, actually tracking anything is with this technology is the scary part. The actual use by a school is just the tip of the iceberg. I am sure that in future every person will be tracked "for their safety". I think that some small town will probably go for something like this at some point "to fight crime"

Re:Insanity

So left to their own devices most children would come around on their own. The ones who don't want to can live exciting lives with a grade 10 education.

But you do realize that, in this wonderful democracy of ours, their vote will count just as much--maybe more if they're in Ohio--as yours, right? Will you be so flippant with regard to their education and "exciting lives" when you have to pay more in taxes to help pay for their welfare check and/or jail term?

My point is, our children, including the "dumb" ones, matter. Our FUTURE matters. Children are affected by not only by what we say but also what we do. If we set forth an example that it's OKAY for the authorities to monitor your every movement for our children now, how much easier do you think it will be able to convince them unwarranted searches are similarly okay in the future?

-Grym

Tin foil hat

They won't be able to scan me as long as I hvae my tin foil hat on, right?

RFID circumvention

soon we'll be learning tons of ways to circumvent RFIDs. kids are very good at finding out ways to circumvent stuff like this. nomatter how good a system might be when it goes against lots of kids with a lot of time on there hands and new ways of thinking i wonder how long it will take b4 kids find away around this.

Re:RFID circumvention

Disclaimer: I am 15

• Aluminium foil
• Coming to school and leaving it in my locker
• Hack the computer system
• Buying a similar model, reprogramming it, and getting someone to take it to your classes, if need be

And finally, if they eventually decide to implant:

• Knife...most people won't go this fat to get out of class, but I don't feel much pain anyway

Thos are just the things I thought of in the last two minutes. I could probably think of more more.

allergic reaction

Why use a knife? Find a little poison ivy or something similar, get yourself a bad rash on and around the area implanted, and claim you are having an allergic reaction. They will take it out. Get everyone else in school to do the same.

You have the poison ivy, you know what to do with the people who don't play along.

Ah the prisoner

Where am I?
In the School

What do you want?
Information

Whose side are you on?
That would be telling . . .

We want Information
You won't get it

By hook or by crook . . .
We will

Who are you?
The new Number Two

Who is Number One?
You are Number Six

I am not a number . . .
I'm a free man!
(Mocking laughter)

Freedom to monitor

Upon being scanned, the data are transmitted to both the school administrators, as well as city police.

The official USA propaganda is that the rest of the world envy USA because of it's freedom. Well, I don't envy the freedom US authorities has to continously monitoring anyone for no reason at all.

Re:Freedom to monitor

1 school district in TX != everyone.

The interesting thing is that you're so "free" that this gross invasion of privacy is allowed. While in a "less free" country this would be completely against all laws.

I'm not really trying to judge, but it's not clear which of the systems that is best at protecting individual freedom.

Social engineering RFID into the children

Something tells me the black market in RFID jammers and duplicators is going to be rampant...

This is totally wrong. You are compelled by law to attend school. Most can't afford to NOT go to government school. Now the government is tagging people like animals.

Be VERY afraid of the first RFID generation, ones who grow up with this commonplace, who never knew an age without it. Who will thing we are a bunch of kooks for opposing it.

That is why those who want to social engineer people ALWAYS want to start with the schools...

Re:Social engineering RFID into the children

Be VERY afraid of the first RFID generation, ones who grow up with this commonplace, who never knew an age without it. Who will think we are a bunch of kooks for opposing it.

That is why those who want to social engineer people ALWAYS want to start with the schools...

I've always wondered how we can expect our kids to fight for liberty later when we gave them none.

How can you miss something you never had?

Maybe this is a case

of law suits gone too far. It seems recently the trend has been to blame the school for whatever trouble a kid causes, and since the school may have difficulty tracking down individual students and whether or not they were on campus, the school may very well end up being responsible. At least this way the schools can say definitievely whether or not someone came(provided they actually still have their rfid, w hich may be a big assumption)

Wonder why

In an age when parents are suing schools for not keeping adequate track of their children (see http://www.overlawyered.com/archives/001699.html) is this any wonder?

Ferris Bueller

We can all watch Matthew Broderick skip class and reminisce about the days when this used to be possible - it'll become a period piece of a bygone age, along with Remains of the Day and Little Women.

Students are *not* cattle

From the article:

• a few schools have begun monitoring student arrivals and departures using technology similar to that used to track livestock and pallets of retail shipments.

And adults wonder why our kids aren't learning important ideas like responsibility...

The Slippery Slope..

Are these guys trying to piss off the volcano!?

Seriously, most proponents of RFID technology site its benefits in stock and supply line management only, and keep assurring us that RFID tags embedded in products will never be used to track people.
And yet we're now seeing instances of the middleman, i.e the product tag, being bypassed altogether and people being tagged outright. Is this really what RFID was developed for in the first place? Tracking people?

OK, these people are children. But that doesn't make this any less wrong. First criminals, then kids. They'll start on employees next, move it up to registered drivers, you'll see.

Of course tagging children has nothing to do with their safety. Anyone who says so is a liar or an idiot. As has been mentioned numerous times, the legions of pedophiles that lurk outside scholl gates every day will simply take off the tag, as will the kids when they want to leave for that matter. Of course the response from RFIDphiles is "Let's implant the tag subdermally!!!! FOREVER!!!! What a great(completeely consistent with a free society) idea!!!". *Sigh*. Why can't so many people think past their next meal?

The purpose of RFID tracking people is to cause a chilling effect. This is denied in the case of children and the public, but is the primary reason given for tagging criminals. Bit of a contridiction there. Effectively tagging children is a form of control, and an extreamly invasive one at that. I don't care what age I am, or who you are. No-one should know and have a documented record of my exact movements. Period. You want to protect your kids? Sit down and talk with them once in a while. Find out where they go rather than right clicking on a toolbar icon to see where they are. Don't squash their, or my, freedoms just because your too busy watching fear factor to look after your own kids.

And of course when I start using by blocker tag, I'll be accused of aiding pedophiles and endangering the children. Won't someone please think of the children!!? I am!

I'm ready for people to start with the tinfoil hat cracks, but to them I say, this is the exact kind of thing you said would never happen!! Well it's happening right now! What are you going to do about it.

RFID tracking is data rape.

Re:The Slippery Slope..

Seriously, most proponents of RFID technology site its benefits in stock and supply line management only, and keep assurring us that RFID tags embedded in products will never be used to track people.
And yet we're now seeing instances of the middleman, i.e the product tag, being bypassed altogether and people being tagged outright. Is this really what RFID was developed for in the first place? Tracking people?

Hhhhmmmmmm, odd that - that there's a product that most people think would be really useful for this one particular (benign) use, but that a minority want to use for bad things. Can't see how that could ever happen with any other technology.

You're right, this is wrong, and no I would not submit my daughter to this sort of treatment (and yes, I do actually have a daughter). But you seem to be implying that

a) this was an inevitable (ab)use of RFID technology
b) this one dubious use should see the tech banned/shunned despite all other legitimate uses

As with all things, don't blame the technology itself for the use to which some people put it. Do that, and you'll end up banning all tech, including sharp sticks and fire.

RFID tracking is data rape.

That makes you sound like an extremist; I'd suggest that if you're serious about fighting things like this that you avoid such emotive language. You'll piss off more people than you sway with it.

Required implants

Where this is leading is required RFID implants. The requirement will initially start out with groups that most of us don't care about, like convicted felons. Next, maybe immigrants. Then it'll start creeping into other sectors of society. Eventually you'll see a wide range of jobs where this is required. Perhaps nursing, police and emergency workers. Then it will start to be required for normal activities. Like you won't be able to board an airline without an RFID implant. The initial selling point will be that it speeds up boarding. And then it'll be required for driver licenses. Can't be too secure after all. I think it's inevitable.

The Police?

And I suppose the RFID's of the criminal element of the school will transmit data with the Evil Bit turned on? Shouldn't it be a word, or at least a few more bits?

000 - Nothing to see here.
001 - normal kid with mischevious mind. Watch for changes. May be intimidated back to 000 with minor police brutality.
010 - Thief. Arrest if lingering in the parking lot or around school supply cabinets.
011 - Fighter. Arrest if having an animated discussion with any 000's they don't normally congregate with or other 011's.
100 - Stabby. Arrest when outer perimiter metal detectors are set off. Notify cafeteria to dispense plastic silverware to the 100 and immediately surrounding 000's. Exhibits 011 behavior, follow guidelines accordingly.
101 - Brandisher. Arrest when outer perimiter detectors are set off and body mass = yesterday's + #g of any known gun + various # of bullets/magazines.Exhibits 011 behavior, follow guidelines accordingly.
110 - Shooter. Arrest immediately. If no gun is found, plant one or make an announcement that arresting them was the right thing to do.
111 - Dealer. "Accidently" shut fire doors on 111's crushing them to death. Accompany disposed of body with a 110, some stray bullets, and drug paraphenalia.

Yeah, they definately need more Evil Bits...

Re:Sorry, this is good....

if you're not in the position to be affected by this, shut the hell up.....

Let me guess, if we don't that would make us unpatriotic as well???

Re:Mark of the Beast

I wonder if this is coming closer to the Mark of the Beast that the bible talks about?

How can it be? Revaltions it was an apocalyptic writing (one of many) about the state of the Christian church at that time, under threat from both overt source (persecution) and more subtle ones (people lured to other faiths, such as worship of the Roman emporer).

Whatever the Mark of the Beast was supposed to be, it was something that existed then, not now. So it can't be RFID tags. Revelations was never a prophecey or prediction.

A quick Google turned up this [wcg.org] which looks like a good starting point for finding out about apocalyptic writings.