Trial of safety wristbands raises data privacy worries at Canadian International School of Hong Kong

A trial of electronic safety bands has divided parents at a Canadian school in Hong Kong, with some voicing concerns over potential threats to data privacy. Introduced on May 9 for a six-week trial on 200 Grade Four and Grade Eight pupils, the bands provide real-time information about when students and staff enter and exit the 14-storey Aberdeen campus of the Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS), or board and exit a bus under contract with the school. The devices can also count their wearer’s steps or monitor their heart rate. They came in after consultation with international audit firm PwC and Tencent, the Shenzhen-based tech giant behind social media and mobile payment app WeChat. The devices have no e-payment facility for the trial period, though the school said that was an option in the future. David Baird, the interim head of school, said the trial was part of the school’s mission to improve student safety. “The intent of the project is good and all about the safety of children and adults on the site and trying to keep track of 2,100 people who are constantly going around the school and on a variety of bus routes at different times of the day,” he said. “There is no GPS system in the bands.” Baird said all data was stored on campus in dedicated, school-owned servers. “No third party can have access to any data in the system when it is deployed to usage,” he said. But concerned parents who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity said that while they agreed with the school’s need to innovate and provide a safe environment, they were concerned about the app developer’s potential access to data. Whatever agreement there may be on paper, the data often finds its way into other hands, whether by accident or by design. This data is gold dust for a firm like Tencent Parent “Whatever agreement there may be on paper, the data often finds its way into other hands, whether by accident or by design,” said one parent. “This data is gold dust for a firm like Tencent. “The optics alone are horrific in this day and age, when everybody is concerned about privacy and data breaches.” Macau issues warning to cabbies over Andy Hui cheating scandal Another parent said better data safeguards were needed. One parent said having pupils wear electronic devices made her feel uncomfortable. “When I read that they were being provided by Tencent, with WeChat Pay possible in the future, I was flabbergasted,” she said. The school’s privacy policy states: “To facilitate our services, third-party app developers have access to certain necessary personal information for operational purposes. “However, the third-party app developers are obligated not to disclose or use the personal information for any other purposes.” Baird said the school’s contract with Tencent involved the careful handling of data, including only using it for the agreed purpose. One parent in favour of the bands said she had complete trust in the school and its decision to trial the bands. “The clear objective of this project is to develop a tool that helps the school to enhance the safety and security of our students,” she said. Another parent said she did not have concerns about data privacy at the school. “Our school has a strong IT team … there’s an audit firm to monitor everything,” she said. “After the development is finished, we were told that no third party will have access to any data. “I can’t see why we should have more concern about our data at school than at other organisations. I trust the school.” Baird, whose interim term expires in July, also dismissed accusations that parents were not adequately consulted about the project. “All parents were notified of the collaboration over a year ago and multiple times through different communication channels before the roll-out of a trial programme to test if the system would work,” he said. “I stress again the words, trial period.” Baird said the school spent months ensuring data and the servers were secure. “We purchased our own servers to ensure data is kept on CDNIS site and controlled by us,” he said. “We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside specialists to try and break down our security systems and to make recommendations. “Some parents want us to continue the way we are, but if it was their child lost, guess how many issues and complaints we would face.” Some parents said mistrust at the school could be traced to 2015, when a dispute over the governance hierarchy resulted in mass lay-offs and friction between some parents and teachers and administrators and governors. China’s technology giants have been under growing pressure from consumers over concerns about the way their data is handled. In January last year Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding, the two largest Chinese technology companies by market value, had to publicly clarify how they handled customer information amid growing scrutiny over how social networks should protect customer information. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

Trial of safety wristbands raises data privacy worries at Canadian International School of Hong Kong

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Parents air concerns after school straps Fitbit-style devices to 200 pupils for trial But others back move, and interim head says they have safeguards to protect against loss of information

Parents air concerns after school straps Fitbit-style devices to 200 pupils for trial

But others back move, and interim head says they have safeguards to protect against loss of information