Tag Archives: carole ford

Lib Dems stand up against use of facial recognition tech in school dinner halls

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 20th October 2021 - 8:49 pm

This week the Information Commissioner stepped in after 9 schools in North Ayrshire started using facial recognition technology to speed up the payment queue in the dinner hall.

From The Guardian:

The ICO, an independent body set up to uphold information rights in the UK, said it would be contacting North Ayrshire council about the move and urged a “less intrusive” approach where possible.

An ICO spokesperson said organisations using facial recognition technology must comply with data protection law before, during and after its use, adding: “Data protection law provides additional protections for children, and organisations need to carefully consider the necessity and proportionality of collecting biometric data before they do so.

Scottish Lib Dem schools spokesperson Carole Ford went on GB News to say that this was wrong both in practical and privacy terms. Carole would know. As a former headteacher she knows what the issues are in school dinner halls. This is what she had to say:

Our schools spokesperson @CaroleFord1 is sceptical of facial recognition on school premises. What do you think? 📷 pic.twitter.com/k6MNi784Ah

— Scottish Lib Dems (@scotlibdems) October 20, 2021