This Michigan University’s Dining Halls Ditch Keycards for Hand Scanners
For years there have been rumors about what things will be like in the future and how technology will evolve the lives of humans all around the world. we have seen a lot of changes in not only American society but other cultures around the world as the years go on, including technology taking over in more ways than one such as making newspapers and money digital to even making our identities digital as well.
One of the biggest concerns with technology has always been that the government, schools, occupations, stores, and other places will require a chip for entry/purchase/ The idea that a chip will be inserted into our wrists that will be loaded with our personal information(ID, Drivers License, Address, Bank Accounts, etc.) to use is insane but not far fetched. Western Michigan University(WMU) is one of the first to test the system.
Western Michigan hasn't quite gone full force with this idea but they are jumping right into the fire with one of their new identification processes. They have implemented a process where students will be able to scan their hands for access to certain buildings. Now this is basically a pilot program as they are still testing the waters but are hoping this will become something they can permanently switch to.
WMU has been using MorphoWave Technology to scan, record, and translate a student's hand into biometric points, dashes, and numbers. This translation will be connected to the student's Western Identification Number(WIN) and was used at roughly a 50% clip this past year at the Valley Dining Hall.
WMU will continue to use the hand scans moving forward at Valley Dining and at the cafeteria in the new student center. Although this makes students worry less about their Student IDs and other means, but it also beckons many other questions as well. Like, how safe are the scans? Where are they stored? What if the system is hacked?
This also makes the non-student population wonder what this means for our future. This has started some conversation surrounding the topic that jobs, governments, and other entities will begin to make this kind of technology mandatory and that it violates privacy laws. What do you think about the idea of inserted chips or body scans?