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Bridlington off-licence starts fingerprinting customers

Alex Deane warns viewers of BBC Look North not to hand over their biometric data to an off-licence in Bridlington that has started taking the fingerprints of its customers.

Read the full BBC report here.

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Big Brother Watch Posted in Databases, Overbearing state
  • LeChiffre

    The young have been groomed by their schools to be very casual about giving up their personal data. Sad.

  • David

    This technology isn’t foolproof. It sounds like an ideal opportunity to sell fake Id to under 18s. Get an adult to register and produce fake thumbprints (latex impressions) that the underage can then buy and use to buy drinks!
    Or alternatively are shopkeepers able to verify that a passport is genuine? If a 17 year old borrows a passport with a similar looking photo then they can also get on the system.

  • opsimath

    Surely you’re both forgetting the official line on this: all together now – ‘If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.’
    All together now – ‘Be afraid; be very afraid.’
    Coming to shops in your area soon!

  • Mike

    This sounds like a great idea for anyone who is underage and wants to buy alcohol. You no longer have to ‘prove’ your age every time you want alcohol, you just have to fool the shopkeeper into thinking you’re 18 once and you’re home free. I’d particularly recommend a day when he has new staff on, or is particularly busy, and an almost good enough fake ID should be enough to set you up until you’re 18.
    How does this work data protection act wise? He’s collecting personal information, so should he be registering with the ICO?

  • ERM

    Yeah, I would come at this from the DPA direction too. What is the retailer doing to ensure that this information isn’t open to the risk of being stolen/misused elsewhere? Has he made people aware of how their data will be used/how long it will be retained/how they can make a request to see & check the data being held about them? What are his procedures for dealing with a customer who decides they no longer want to use the shop or have their personal data held? What happens if the data held is incorrect & this is flagged up by the customer? What is the quality of the equipment he has?
    Personally, I would suggest to my family & friends that they boycott this shop – lower profits will soon alter his attitude.