China to Begin Tracking Students Using "Smart" Uniforms
Marie Donlon | December 31, 2018
Source: Guanyu TechnologyKnown for high-tech surveillance of its citizens, China is taking its efforts one step further with “smart uniforms” for school-age children, which are designed to track and monitor student locations to improve school attendance rates as well as to better monitor student safety.
According to reports, the “intelligent uniforms” created by Guanyu Technology will be outfitted with two chips that notify teachers and parents alike whenever a student enters or exits school grounds. The chips will also sound an “obnoxious” alarm to both parents and teachers if the student attempts to leave school grounds midday while school is still in session — an action suggesting that the student intends to skip classes.
Each smart uniform is linked to a specific child’s face so that efforts to fool the system — for instance, if students switched uniforms — are thwarted. Facial recognition technology used at the entrance of the school will issue an alert as soon as a student arrives at the school dressed in another student’s uniform.
Almost guaranteed to invite criticism from privacy advocates all over the world, the smart uniforms, which can withstand more than 500 wash cycles and temperatures over 150° F, can also be used to locate student whereabouts even after the school day has ended.
Yet, more than 10 schools across China’s southwestern Guizhou province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have adopted the high-tech uniforms, with other schools across the country expected to follow suit.
“We choose not to check the accurate location of students after school, but when the student is missing and skipping classes, the uniforms help locate them," said Lin Zongwu, principal of No. 11 School of Renhuai in Guizhou Province, a school planning to outfit students in the uniforms.
Such technology is not unusual in the high-tech heavy country of China where facial recognition and other technologies have been relied on to help monitor student behavior in the classroom as well as to shame jaywalkers at busy intersections.
So-o-o-o-o, CHINA becomes the first BIG BROTHER country, not USA?
In reply to #1
Don't worry, our government is taking notes, in earnest.
I see a market opportunity for uniform copies...and silicone masks....I guess they want to get that citizen trustworthiness score started at an early age....I see Facebook is following suit...
https://www.bbc.com/
..." But one expert said that Facebook's use of an "automated and opaque" scoring system raised particular concerns.
"It's unsurprising that Facebook would want to assess the credibility of its users, considering how some of them are highly suspicious, gullible or out to deliberately misinform others," said Dr Bernie Hogan, from the Oxford Internet Institute.
"But consider the analogy of one's credit score.
"You can check your credit score for free in many countries - by contrast, Facebook's trustworthiness is unregulated and we have no way to know either what our score is or how to dispute it.
"Facebook is not a neutral actor and despite any diplomatic press materials to the contrary, it is intent on managing a population for profit.""...
In reply to #2
Well, maybe, uniforms ARE less ghastly than bar-code tatoo's across foreheads.
In reply to #2
They're free to pursue the application of technology without that pesky "human rights" thing!
In reply to #4
Vs. having to be made to believe we're under attack before we'll allow it.
If my school activities and whereabouts are going to be monitored, I would far prefer an automated system such as these smart uniforms, over some human box-ticking roll-marker, or worse an inattentive gossip - "I think I saw him going thataway".
If taxpayers are funding my education, I believe it's appropriate they (via school staff) know if I'm attending, or wasting time/space/money.
If my parents are funding my education, I believe it's appropriate they know if I'm attending, and are alerted if I am wasting time/space/money.
New technologies that open up new opportunities for you. Furthermore, if you start reading all about it on https://sky-writer.c
I agree with every word.