Article 1 – Facial recognition used to take payments from school children.
Nine schools North Ayrshire have came up with an efficiente process for the queue to move more swiftly at lunch time and meanwhile reducing the COVID-19 risks of card payments and finger print scanners. This process includes using facial recognition when students go up to pay for their lunch.
This process has gained some backlash from the students parents & campaigners due to the fact that they think that the students are not being informed about the privacy risks that this process might cause. However, according to the North Ayrshire Council, 97% of children or their parents have agreed to use the facial recognition in schools.
While David Swanston the Managing Director of CRB Cunningham the company that provided the system stated “It’s the fastest way of recognising someone at the till. On the other hand Fraser Sampson the Biometrics Commissioner for England & Wales stated ” if there is a less intrusive way for kids to pay for their lunches, than it should be used”.
Facial recognition systems have become quite popular, within policing it goes back to 2015 when it was used for the queues to enter Download Festival at Donnington Park. The Metropolitan Police commissioned an independent study and it turned out that the system is 81% accurate.
My Opinion
The facial recognition is an innovative system that should be used in schools for payments made by students because it quickens the process of payment and makes sure that everyone has paid what their supposed to. When it comes to facial recognition being used by the police I think they should definitely make use of this technology to help them with identifying people and catch criminals. Environments where high security is needed like airports, banks etc should also try it out and see the result that it brings.