Invasive monitoring

China has been developing monitoring tech over the last few years and deploying it in schools. 👩‍🏫 Many parents are on board with this. (It raises educational standards, arguably.)

A 2024 Chinese Government Directive enabled some schools to install CCTV 🎦 to deter bullying and violence. Reasonable, right?

Some high schools added facial recognition. It scans pupils' faces every 30 secs to gauge their emotions and level of engagement. 💹 Students can be tagged as happy, sad, angry, or distracted. 😡 The teacher gets notified instantly. Useful tech, yes?

More and more Chinese schools are adopting smart wristbands ⌚ for fitness, health and safety. Last August, Shanghai District invested 1.4bn yuan (£150m) in them.

AI headbands 👲 were piloted in May 2023. These use EEG sensors to monitor primary pupils’ attention levels and focus in real time. Teachers, parents and Government authorities (it’s thought) receive alerts. ⚠ They know when the kid’s mind wanders. Helps keep them actively involved – a win, surely. 🏆

Remember in the pandemic when businesses used "bossware" to track WFH employee activity: mouse movements, keystrokes, website visits? 🖱 Of course you do.

So, how far would you go, as an IT leader, to get the best out of your workforce? 😉

Takeaways for Tech Leaders

❓ Ask the big questions
How much tracking and monitoring do you use in your organisation? What’s your strategic approach? What’s the impact on employees, partners and customers? How much is too much?

🤔 The negative effects
Key concerns include privacy, ethics, and the impact on emotional wellbeing.
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👮 Monitoring and UK law
UK‑GDPR; Data Protection Act 2018; Human Rights Act 1998 – Article 8 (Right to Privacy); Employment Law and Contractual Duties.