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Cambridge
CB1
8th June 2006
Mr A Davies,
St. Matthew's Primary School
Norfolk Street
Cambridge CB1 2LD
cc all school governors
Dear Mr Davies,
W I T H O U T P R E J U D I C E
Given that the introduction of thumbprint scanning in school libraries is a Government initiative, it seems extraordinary to me that they have taken pains to distance themselves from the possible legal ramifications. Speaking to the BBC on 23 July 2002, officials at the Department for Education said the matter was one for head teachers and governing bodies, who had to ensure they stayed within the law.
Although I have no intention myself of mounting any kind of legal challenge to the proposed thumbprint scanning of children in St Matthew's, nor to advocate or advise any other parents or guardians to do so, may I strongly urge you and the governors to seek independent legal counsel before the scheme is implemented, if only for your own peace of mind.
According to legal advice I have seen, it is highly likely that the entire scheme is illegal. Aside from issues such as breach of trust, violations of human rights, etc, police legislation is very specific about when, by whom and how fingerprints may be taken and what they may be used for.
Further, a school is not a secure environment to store such data. Although it would be difficult to decrypt using current technologies, IT experts have acknowledged that even in as little as five years' time, given the rate at which technology advances, this may not be the case. This is particularly disturbing as fingerprints will soon be used for such things as accessing bank accounts and front door locks.
By trivialising the use of biometric data in this way, the effect is to soften up our children for such initiatives as ID cards and DNA testing, a cornerstone of the Government's unbelievably draconian proposals to implement the National Identity Register which will hold at least 50 categories of registrable fact on every UK citizen, to be retained even after death.
I would be very interested to hear your views on this matter.
Yours Sincerely,