Rhode Island school to track students with RFID tags.

[Johnboy60]

A Rhode Island school district plans to begin using Radio Frequency Identification -- or RFID -- technology to track students, starting next week. But the plan is not without opposition. Neal McCluskey with the Cato Institute says while the program may have good intentions, it is still a bad idea.

The Middletown, Rhode Island, school district will attach RFID tags to the book bags of about 80 children who ride buses to and from school. The system is supposed to allow the district and parents to know whether their children are on the bus. Global Positioning System (GPS) devices will also allow officials and parents to locate buses.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/2008/01/rhode_island_school_to_track_s.php

 

[I Just Believe In Me]

We would all be safer if we were being tracked constantly but it would still be a violation of our rights. Being in school does not change your rights, nor does being under 18.

 

[ElizabethVu]

I'ld beat the school administation over the head with that bookbag if I were one of those parents. We can not allow these creeps and perverts to get kids used to being tracked and being ok with it.

 

[mrpiddly]

I'ld beat the school administation over the head with that bookbag if I were one of those parents. We can not allow these creeps and perverts to get kids used to being tracked and being ok with it.

Its all encrypted to prevent that. While this gens tags are pretty good, only good hackers can crack them, the next gen's tags should be alot more encrypted with features like "rolling code".

 

[Blackguard_]

^^^^
I think she meant the school administrators, not pedophiles cracking the system, at least that's the impression I got.
She's not wrong if that's the case, if kids get used to this kind of stuff, it makes sense they'll be less likely to oppose stuff like it as adults.

We would all be safer if we were being tracked constantly

Not really. You're assuming there's always someone watching and able and willing to come to your aid in time, or that they even know more than your location, i.e that you need help.

It might help if you're kidnapped for ransom or get lost in the woods, but not much else. You'd probably get a ton of triaffic tickets too.

but it would still be a violation of our rights. Being in school does not change your rights, nor does being under 18.

Legally, both do.

The system is supposed to allow the district and parents to know whether their children are on the bus.

You don't need to get that hi-tech to see if a kid missed the bus. Does this school not take attendence or something?

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices will also allow officials and parents to locate buses.

Then why not just put a GPS on the bus?

 

[Lockguy3000]

[F] I have news for you guys, people in offices, with card readers, or proxi readers, that reads your id tags around your neck, access to the bathrooms, logging onto computers, they all have audit trails.

The people in charge of security for your company knows where you go, when you go.

Every time you use your credit card, and those discount supermarket tags on your key chains.

As for the kids, high schools here in NYC uses these RFID tags to get into the schools already.

The tags do not have GPS, it can not send a signal to a satellite, it registers the kid going onto the bus, and the GPS on the bus can tell where the bus is, who registered on the bus, and who left the bus, and when, and where that kid left the bus, thus making sure no kids are left on the bus when the driver goes off duty.[/FONT]

 

[Lockguy3000]

Its all encrypted to prevent that. While this gens tags are pretty good, only good hackers can crack them, the next gen's tags should be alot more encrypted with features like "rolling code".

They are already using rolling codes for the new car transponders, that's why sometimes those new Toyota keys won't work right.

 

[Billnew]

Put the tag in the book bag, the kids goes to school, and leaves his bookbag in his locker and leaves school.

Waste of money.