Taiwanese Students Urge Boycott On Mandatory Use Of RFID Cards

October 16, 2007 12:04 a.m. EST

Taipei, Taiwan (AHN) - Taiwanese high school students have launched a campaign to boycott a multi-function electronic identification card. They argued that the radio frequency identification (RFID) student card required by the Taipei City's Bureau of Education violates their rights to privacy.

According to Taipei Times, the High School Student's Rights Association (HSRA) launched the boycott campaign on Sunday. The newspaper quoted the HSRA's secretary, Wang Hao-zheng, as saying that the ID keeps students under strict surveillance like convicts or animals.

The bureau mandated the use of the RFID student card last month in place of the traditional IDs. The new ID tracks and records a student's class attendance and spending habits. It can alert parents through text messaging if their child is absent or tardy.

Parents and teachers can download the students' activities, including the time they arrive at school and what they bought at the cafeteria. The card can also be used to borrow books at the library, purchase items and ride the subway train.

The bureau said the card does not contain a student's personal information.

Wang said the card's attendance tracking system violates the Personal Protection Law and its mandatory use should be debated further.

Other members of the HSRA argued that the $1.5 million spent to set up the RFID student card system is extravagant. The money should have been used instead to improve classroom lighting.

Another member fears that the bureau might sell information on students' spending habits to marketing or consumer research firms without the students' permission.

The Taipei Times quoted a recent high school graduate as saying that the ID made mistakes in recording his attendance causing him to get demerits. He said the card indicated him as tardy or absent when he was not.

If he was late, the student said it is because he had to wait in line to swipe the card since there are not enough card-reading machines at the school. He added that the card is more expensive than the old ID card.