BAA will open its new Terminal 5 at Heathrow on Thursday of this
week. Passengers using the terminal will have to allow four fingers
to be scanned for fingerprints even if they are only travelling
within the UK.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said that it has
asked BAA for more information on the system, and that it is
worried about its compliance with data protection law.
"We have concerns about the routine collection of fingerprint
information from passengers and we will require reassurance from
BAA that the data protection implications of the proposals have
been fully addressed," said a spokesperson from the ICO.
The ICO will investigate whether the function can be performed
by other technology that does not collect and store biometric data
on travellers. "We will be weighing up the security benefits of the
scheme against the impact on privacy and asking what other, less
intrusive alternatives have been considered," said the
spokesperson.
Passengers will be fingerprinted at the security checkpoint and
later at the boarding gate at the airport.
The same departure lounges and shops and restaurants in the
terminal will be used by both domestic and international
passengers. The system is designed to stop incoming international
passengers from being able to swap boarding passes with another
traveller and going elsewhere in the UK without being identified at
the gate.
A spokesman for BAA told The Times newspaper that the company
believed that its system complied with UK law.
“We are confident that there is no breach of the Data Protection
Act and nor do these measures affect the fundamental rights of our
passengers, principally because we encrypt all data immediately and
destroy it within 24 hours," said the spokesman.
The ICO said that any organisation should ensure that systems
are compliant with privacy laws long before they are put in
place.
“As organisations collect more and more personal data the
greater the potential risks to individuals," said the spokesperson.
"It is essential that before introducing new systems and
technologies, which could accelerate the growth of a surveillance
society, full consideration is given to minimising the impact on
privacy and that data protection safeguards are in place to limit
any risks.”
Commissioner Richard Thomas has been warning for over two years
that too much personal data is collected and used in the UK by the
public and private sectors. He has said that he believes that the
UK is in danger of becoming a "surveillance society".
