
University of Arizona tracks student ID cards to detect who might drop out - rbanffy
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/12/17109224/university-of-arizona-tracking-smartchips-student-ids-privacy-drop-out
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reaperducer
The students should be given the option to opt out of the tracking and
analysis.

More concerning — is the University of Arizona a state school? If so, it could
be required to share all of that data with the state. Which means it will
eventually end up in the databases of the LEO, the FBI, etc...

Next thing you know, you're getting pulled over for a seatbelt check, and the
cop says to you, "You seem to be going to the student union a lot when there
are meetings of [insert unpopular organization here]. Care to explain that?"

Also, what prevents the university from selling the data to third parties like
marketing companies?

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clintonb
FERPA is the HIPAA for educational records.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Educational_Rights_and_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Educational_Rights_and_Privacy_Act)

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klez
This adds very little to the Gizmodo's article[0] it links to.

[0] [https://gizmodo.com/the-university-of-arizona-tracked-
studen...](https://gizmodo.com/the-university-of-arizona-tracked-students-id-
card-swi-1823654183)

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exabrial
Can we change the title to be a little less clickbaity: The student badge
swipe data on campus they already have is being analyzed for dropout patterns.

The title implies something nefarious is happening, like they're wirelessly
tracking them around town.

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gowld
It's still creepy. There's a different between showing an ID to gain access to
a resource, and being electronically stalked.

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exabrial
Good point, but I would assume that if you're showing id for anything you're
being tracked 'for audit purposes'.

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poster123
Class attendance can be tracked electronically. Many students get Pell grants
and federally guaranteed student loans. Students who don't show up for class
or otherwise uphold their responsibilities should not be getting taxpayer
money.

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gowld
Pell Grants are grants to colleges, not to students. No students get taxpayer
money via a Pell grant.

Pell Grants are for earning degrees, not for attending lectures.

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bookofjoe
Welcome to UAC (University of Arizona-China)

