How would you feel if your school was able to track every step you take using a chip? I know for a fact I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing the administration could track each and every step I take. A few schools in the U.S. have begun implementing this new way of keeping an eye on students, although some students and parents are fine with the new security measure most are outraged just by the thought of the idea. Nowadays, there are many ways for people to invade someone’s privacy without getting caught; schools and large businesses discovered new ways to keep track of teens and their activities. Teenagers should not have to worry about jeopardizing their privacy by attending school or while using their phones.

The privacy issue has been around for years and it’s only going to get more complex as years pass making it more difficult for people to feel safe. Schools think that by keeping a good watch on students they can stop any bad thing from happening at school but it’s not always true, because they can’t be everywhere at once. Schools don’t give students much privacy but they are also not allowed to search a student just because they feel like it, they must have reasonable grounds for doing so. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act also known as FERPA has helped students since 1974 by preventing schools from sharing student data with outside parties that would specifically identify a student. Recently the government has tried making new changes which would negatively affect the privacy rights of students; these new changes allow outside agencies to access student data for the purpose of educational and aid programs.

A few schools in the country are beginning to implement a new method of keeping track of students and their activities. These schools have began using a special chip that goes on student IDs to keep track of students and locate them anywhere on school grounds, the company that manufactures the chip uses a combination of GPS and radio frequency identification technologies. School officials argue that it is only for attendance purposes and it will only track students while in school which will allow school officials and parents to know if a student deviates from their normal schedule. Students have decided to show their opposition to the new measure by leaving their IDs at home or in lockers or using their old IDs. Heather Fazio, Executive Director of Texans for Accountable Governments is worried about student safety after she realized that by just paying a thirty dollar fee with the Freedom of Information Act she was able to get every students name and address. This puts students in danger because any person could pay the fee and see the information.
Another way that teens’ privacy is being invaded is by using the applications on their smart phones. The creators of applications sell personal information like contacts, location, application activity, and phone ID to third parties who then use them to target certain demographics. Rebecca Jeschke works for an organization that educates and protects technology users, she believes that some privacy settings on applications aren’t clear enough and people don’t take the time to read them and check if they have been set correctly. Application creators who don’t sell their applications figure that they have to find a way to make money so they sell personal information to third parties not caring whether it is ethical or not. There should be general privacy rules established to help users better understand what they can do to protect themselves.

Supporters think the new measures schools are taking are fine and that they are just doing it for the benefit of the students. They believe school officials have the right to do these things and maintain order so other student can learn without distractions. They think that because students are still minors we shouldn’t have the same rights as adults just because we don’t have the same responsibilities as adults. They also believe that putting the tracking chips on the student’s ID cards is a positive thing because it can help know where a student is when they skip school.

After reading several articles about the privacy issue I got a better understanding of how it is taking its toll on teenager’s lives. There are many ways that a person’s privacy can be invaded without them even knowing it’s happening. We shouldn’t have to worry about our privacy because we’re only trying to live our lives and have fun while we’re still young. Schools and large businesses have found new ways to invade someone’s privacy and have also found ways to cover up their actions.