It is called “intelligent classroom behavior management system”. And it is – strangely enough – an experimental application that was implemented in a Chinese high school. A camera with facial recognition software (and expressions) scans the desks every 30 seconds. And it classifies the expressions of students into 6 types of behavior: reading, writing, raising my hand, standing up, listening to the teacher, being bored. Additionally, it categorizes expressions into “happy”, “anxious”, “angry”, “fearful”, and “annoyed”. The data is analyzed and compiled into a report for the teacher, so that they can have a better understanding of their students.
Don’t worry about privacy protection! According to the school’s deputy director Zhang Guanchao, facial expressions are analyzed but not stored as images. Additionally, the system is connected to a local server and not to any cloud service, in order to prevent data leakage.
In the end, the simplistic notion that is heard everywhere when questions arise regarding privacy also applies here: I have nothing to hide, I’m not doing anything illegal… “I’m being cautious,” that is.
Or doesn’t it apply?
(photograph: The concentrative of the analysis: so much mathematical hour there was joy in the class, so much boredom, etc. etc.)