T H E HOFS T R A
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 86 ISSUE 1
CHRONICLE
TUESDAY
September 15, 2020
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935. NEWS
Hofstra disables data tracking on temperature kiosks
By Sarah Emily Baum EDITOR - AT- L A R G E
Hofstra University has disabled facial recognition and recording software that was “erroneously” used on students during screenings for COVID-19 symptoms. Prior to reopening, 21 temperature-reading kiosks were installed in dormitories, the Student Center and the Student Health and Counseling Center, according to Newsday. These measures sought to detect fevers – one possible symptom of the coronavirus. The devices, however, were linked to a university database that automatically recorded students’ names, private ID numbers and on-file profile pictures during facial scans. “The temperature kiosks were installed immediately prior to reopening and temperature trend collection had been turned on erroneously by the staff that installed the kiosks,” said Karla Schuster, assistant vice president of University Relations. “As soon as the Task Force [on Reopening] learned that this function had been turned on, the IT staff corrected the devices and removed any collected in-
formation, which was completed as of the morning of Aug. 28. No data had been reviewed or used at any point, and anything collected has been destroyed.” Temperature scanners have been installed in schools across the country to screen for symptoms of COVID-19. The technology, however, has been under scrutiny in recent years for its dubious ethical implications, especially pertaining its uses by police to surveil protestors. Some students were caught by surprise when they discovered the kiosks had been logging their personal data. “When my friends and I learned about it, we were shocked and uncomfortable,” said Isabella Burckhardt, a junior entrepreneurship major. “We were surprised it immediately linked us to our IDs, and we didn’t know what that information would be used for, if anything.” Other students were more concerned with the fact that such means could be deployed accidentally. “It doesn’t bother me that they can recognize our faces,” said Zach Faretra, a junior video and television major, “but I don’t like hearing there’s a security mistake like that.”
To function, the software requires access to a pre-existing database of student information, which would have been granted upon installation. Dr. Xiang Fu, a computer scientist and Hofstra professor who has spent years researching information security, said facial recognition software works by measuring the biometrics of the user, such as the arch of the cranial ridge or the distance between one’s eyes and nose. Therefore, it can identify users even if they are wearing a mask. The Paramont Model temperature scanners Hofstra purchased will even reprimand students who do not wear masks via an automated voice message. Facial recognition has also been historically faulty when used on people of color, especially Black individuals. “It has recently been shown that algorithms trained with biased data have resulted in algorithmic discrimination,” said researcher Joy Buolamwini in a joint paper by Microsoft and the MIT Media Labs. She found that the software, like ones used by law enforcement, is “systematically lower [in accuracy] for people labeled female, Black, or be-
tween the ages of 18 to 30 than nosed with for other demographic cohorts.” COVID-19 through the temperaShalita Brown, a senior ture checks, but four people who political science major, saw this did have the virus were found to disparity firsthand when she have cleared the checkpoints. used the system. She said three “The temperature kiosks are separate devices had repeatedly one of many tools available for identified her as multiple other members of the campus commuBlack students. “It’s never iden- nity to help them monitor and tified me even once,” she said. protect their general health,” Even with the facial recogSchuster said. “It provides infornition features now disabled, mation, not diagnoses.” controversy about the temperature kiosks remains. The Center for EvidenceBased Medicine at Oxford University called the technology “more marketing than medical evidence.” “Skin temperature, rather than core temperature, is measured,” said the Center’s website. It also highlighted the possible ineffectiveness of fever tests in screening for the virus, as the Center reported almost half of all cases were asymptomatic. A CNN investigation from January also explored temperature checks in American airports, Adam Flash / The Hofstra Chronicle which screened a total of 30,000 people. Not a Newly installed temperature checks can single person was diagbe found around campus.
A&E
By Raj Sujanani
New Disney remake sparks controversy
STAFF W R I T E R
Live-action adaptations have been Disney’s new secret formula for making a profit at the box office. Recent successes such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” were not only brought to life, but also generated a sense of nostalgia through their basic storylines, characters and music. Now, another movie has been revived – a live-action remake based on the 1998 animated classic “Mulan.” It was released
on Disney+, with Premium Access for an additional fee of $29.99, on Friday, Sept. 4. Although the team behind “Mulan” initially aimed for a March 2020 theatrical release, they had no choice but to release it on the streaming platform due to COVID-19. The film faced a few boycotts, namely when Liu Yifei, who plays the titular role of Mulan, expressed her support for the Hong Kong police, who have responded to pro-democracy protests in the region with brutality against civilians. It
faced additional backlash when Disney acknowledged the film was shot in Xinjiang, a region in which the Chinese government has perpetrated severe human rights violations against China’s Uighur Muslim population. According to CBS News, “Boycott Mulan” was trending on Twitter after the film’s release, with many users drawing attention to the fact that the end credits of the movie thanked the Chinese Communist Party Xinjiang Uyghur [sic] Autonomous Region Committee.
Photo Courtesy of Disney The live action remake of “Mulan” has been creating controversy since its release on Friday, Sept. 4.
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