NEWS: Pentagon Begins Work on Student Database

Yesterday, June 23, the Pentagon began working with BeNow Inc. to create and manage a database of all high school students between the ages of 16 and 18 as well as all college students. The measure has been taken to try and combat the low enrollment in the military as of recent. The database will store information perceived as sensitive, such as the GPA, email address, and social security number of the students. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools risk losing federal funding if they refuse to give some information to the military. The new system, however, will collect information from a number of other sources, such as driver's licence records.



There are obviously a lot of people already up in arms about this. You can still opt out of it, but only if you give your information to them in a separate file. Ethnicity especially (as it mentions in the article) seems unecessary when it comes to this sort of data storage. And let's not forget security issues. There have been a rash of recent attacks on government systems and placing this much information in a single location could be devastating.

As a student I must say I really don't like this. I'm all for aggressive recruiting, and I'm all for data collection, but there really is no need to do this sort of thing. I can understand some things, like the courses. That allows them to target specific individuals for a better chance of success, and to better help the students. They certainly don't need my social security number (there are plenty of ways of working without it) and they really don't need my email address. THAT inflames me.

So what are they going to do with this information? Send you unsolicted junk mail or spam? Doesnt this conflict with Bush's legislation that targets unsolicted spam and such?

To validate the draft...

to find out who goes to college and those who dont!

to find out those who is failing (high school or college)

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This strikes me a little ominous.

Like preparation for an enlarged military, leading in the direction of a police state.
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yeah, what first came to my mind.

Theory....

Is that they are moving forward with the draft and are creating the "exempt" list of current college students, and those likely to go onto college. And Targeting the Poor kids that can't afford college, like they did in Vietnam,

I don't think this is evidence of a draft stirring, but rather something more alongside what slank said. Just interesting to note. As far as I can see, they've given no reason for collecting it, and while it's their prerogative, you just gotta wonder why.

An expansion of the military forces seems like the perfect end product for this sort of project.

Yikes posted on 23/6/2005.

I hope no one minds me bumping this up so people will vote.