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HANDS OFF OUR FINGERPRINTS!
Fury as hundreds of council staff face ‘Orwellian’ scanners
FINGERPRINTING scanners have been installed in a council department to monitor working hours in a move described as “Orwellian” by outraged staff who fear the data could fall into the wrong hands.
The trade union Unison has instructed its members not to give their fingerprints when the machines come into use in the Community Protection Department of Westminster Council.
Westminster will become the first local authority in the country to use the scanners if they are approved.
It is understood that around 200 staff, including city guardians who monitor anti-social behaviour and city inspectors who work with the council’s licensing team, will have to use the biometric scanners to clock in and out of work.
They were installed without warning two weeks ago, although the council has promised a full consultation with unions and staff before they become operational.
Westminster Unison secretary Phil Vaughan said the machines “undermine trust” and raise serious concerns about confidentiality.
“It is totally Orwellian,” he said. “We do not object to clocking in and out per se, but fingerprint scanners are a step too far. It shows a complete lack of trust from management. If they do this now what’s the next step – retina scanning in five years?”
?He added: “We also have legitimate concerns about how this information will be used. This department is particuarly close to the police. We have no confidence that the council can hold this kind of information securely.”
All Unison members have been issued with a letter to give to their managers if asked to provide their fingerprints to the council.
Despite union claims that the scanners are a “fait accompli” the council has promised they will only be switched on after a full consultation. Although there is nothing illegal in fingerprint scanning itself, which has been installed in a number of schools as a security measure, it touches on wider fears of a surveillance society. There are also question marks over the reliability of the technology.
Guy Herbert, general secretary of the Marylebone-based lobby group NO2ID, said the scanners could be a threat to civil liberties.
“It does sound Orwellian,” he added. “But as a group we do not have a probem with the technology itself. It depends how the information is stored, what it is used for and who has access to it.”
The council has played down the episode.
Dean Ingledew, director of community protection, said: “This technology safeguards the personal data of our residents and businesses and ensures that staff only have access to the information relevant to their role. This type of system is commonplace among all major organisations and companies across the country.
“The facts are far less radical than Unison have indicated. We run an efficient service and this technology assists with the security of our offices and staff.
“In fact many of our staff have welcomed the introduction of the system as it makes them feel safer.” |
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