Facial recognition is on the menu in UK schools

Scottish schoolchildren can now confirm their presence in the canteen by means of facial recognition. — Relaxnews

Some British schools are announcing that they will, for the very first time, use facial recognition technology for the payment of pupils' canteen meals. Although this only concerns a few schools, it presages new uses for a technology that's already well established in some countries, starting with China.

So far, just a handful of schools in North Ayrshire, Scotland, are testing this technology. They believe that it makes transactions both faster (less than five seconds per student) and more hygienic than using a card or a hand scan. In any case, this method avoids pupils' having to carry cash or a card that can be lost or stolen. Moreover, it doesn't require touching any equipment, which is especially important in the age of Covid-19.

In practice, children select their meal, look at the camera to be identified, and then leave to go eat. While this solution is undeniably practical, it nevertheless raises many questions about the protection of personal data. Any such biometric data is intended to be encrypted and stored until the child leaves the school, when it is permanently deleted. Of course, willing parents must give prior consent for their children to participate in this trial. Many other British schools have already expressed interest in this technology.