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Recommendation on Student Identification Cards Using Smart Card Technology [2005] KRNHRC 10 (1 January 2005)

A petition was filed against the chancellor of University, alleging that the
dual-purpose card (smart card and student ID card) issued by the university forced
students to open an account with a designated bank. The Commission revealed that the
City of requested the university to adopt a smart card with electronic currency
function in 2000. The university started to issue a smart card at the beginning of the
second semester of 2002 with the assistance of Bank that had a branch inside the
university. The university required all students to open an account with Bank in
order to get a student ID card. In the process, the university provided the bank with
students' personal data such as RRN, college, major, student ID number, and name and
the bank delivered the data to a smart card producer. The smart card stores students'
personal information as well as their records on library use, transportation use and
electronic currency use. The card has also ample memory capacity to save much more
data for future use.

The University should have got consent from students when it adopted a smart card
system for issuing a student ID card. The university is also required to prepare
regulations on personal data protection so that the personal information obtained could
be kept strictly confidential. University, however, failed to meet these requirements
in adopting the smart card system. The university also forced the students to open an
account with Bank to get a student ID card, which resulted in forcing students to
open an account with a chosen bank

Furthermore, the university did not offer alternative ways for students who did not
want a smart card to get a ID card. The university also failed to provide a means to
protect the students' personal data.

The Commission made a recommendation to the chancellor of the university to issue a
smart card only to students who want and a separate student ID card to those who do
not. The recommendation further stated that the chancellor should notify all students of
the choices and take measures to protect personal data throughout the process of
adopting the smart card.