Heathrow Airport owner BAA is pulling a biometric fingerprint
system at the new Terminal 5 (T5) the day before the building opens
to the public, after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
raised concerns about the system.
The system would have taken the fingerprints of all domestic
passengers as they passed through the security gates, and was
intended to prevent illegal immigration.
BAA said in a statement, "Following a meeting with all relevant
parties, including the Information Commissioner and the Border and
Immigration Agency, the introduction of fingerprinting for domestic
passengers and passengers transferring onto domestic flights at
Heathrow will be temporarily delayed."
In the meantime, BAA will open Heathrow T5 and use a
photographic identification system, which is already in place. The
company said, "We will be working closely with the ICO and the Home
Office over the next few weeks to agree the best approach going
forward."
The ICO raised concerns in a statement earlier this week about
the data protection implications of the proposed biometrics system.
A spokeswoman for the ICO said the office was investigating to see
if any changes could be made to the system to make it acceptable,
or whether it would have to be scrapped permanently.
The ICO said, "The Information Commissioner’s Office has
contacted BAA about plans to fingerprint passengers at Heathrow
Terminal 5. 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. 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.
"As organisations collect more and more personal data the
greater the potential risks to individuals. 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."
See also:
Toby Stevens' blog entry "The cost of privacy: biometrics at London
Heathrow T5"