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Expert says scans should be embraced RORY SCHULER TAUNTON - The debate over fingerprint scanning technology in city schools has boiled down to simple slice of paper - a permission slip. Two weeks ago, Chairwoman Christine Fagan stood up for enraged parents
who have felt their parental and civil rights have been overlooked. There seem to be some discrepancies in promises made by the district administration to an inquiring American Civil Liberties Union attorney, and the actual disclaimers sent home to parents regarding the soon-to-be-initiated program. Parents worry fingerprint image gathering is the first step of a distressing trend in American culture. More than the $52,000 program itself, the parents are angry they were not given a choice, prior to last week's School Committee intervention. Meanwhile, biometrics industry professionals across the nation have been watching Taunton's debate play out. Kevin Creel, a product marketing specialist for M2SYS Technology in Atlanta, feels many of the recently voiced concerns can be addressed with an open, honest discussion. He contends, that "even if someone really wanted a child's fingerprint they would have to" follow a complicated series of events. They would have to "reverse engineer a proprietary system that has
been tested by several, independent security experts" and "defeat
128-bit AES (government/military standard) encryption." "To have access to a small binary file that is a mathematical representation of a few strategic points on a child's fingerprint that can only be used within that proprietary system?" asked Creel in an e-mail. "You can't reconstruct data (e.g. a complete fingerprint) from 17 key points on fingerprint. But more importantly, why would ANYONE go through this process? If someone wanted a child's fingerprint, why not wait for them to throw away a soda can and dust it? Why not just place some baby powder on their desk and lift their print with a piece of tape? At least this way, they can get an entire print." Parents in Taunton have been told that the lunch program will be the first step in a new technological wave. Fingerprint technology may eventually be used for taking attendance, using school transportation, and/or library access. Patti Crossman, a parent who made "Ban the Scan" buttons for herself and fellow parents to wear, asked the committee and the school administration one very poignant and yet unanswered question: How will the district allow any students to opt out of the program if its scope widens to cover the entire school day? Creel wants parents to embrace the technology. He believes there may be too much importance placed in the distinct lines and ridges at the tips of our digits. "What is a fingerprint going to do for anyone?" he asked. "Fingerprints tell nothing about a person." Fingerprint evidence, however, is used quite extensively by prosecutors
to obtain criminal convictions. Prior to DNA analysis, fingerprints were
the primary piece of evidence used to tie suspects to committed crimes. "You know as well as I do, in order to participate in our modern society we must give up private information about ourselves," Creel said. "You can't just go into a bank anonymously and ask for money. Biometrics is simply a secure and accurate method of identifying or verifying identities. I would feel a lot better knowing that in order to access my bank account, I would have to verify my identity with my fingerprint. It takes a lot of effort in order to counterfeit a fingerprint." He argues we use biometrics every day. "When you walk down the street and run into a friend you identity them by the shape of their face, their eye color, their hair color, the pitch and timbre of their voice, etc.," he wrote. "These are all biometrics. Fingerprinting is no different. In fact, fingerprints are a more anonymous form of photo identification. You can obtain information about a person simply by looking at their photo. Not so with a fingerprint." Taunton Superintendent Arthur W. Stellar has pledged to refine the option process of the fingerprinting program, by sending out permission slips, based on a motion by School Committee member Peter H. Corr. ---------------------------------------------------
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