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The UK’s privacy and data protection watchdog has ordered Circo Leisure to stop using facial recognition technology to monitor employee attendance at leisure centres.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has found that Serco Leisure and Community Leisure Trust illegally processed the biometric data of more than 2,000 employees at 38 leisure facilities across the UK.
It said facial recognition and fingerprint scanning were used to monitor employee attendance and subsequent payment for their time.
The ICO said leisure center operators had failed to demonstrate why these measures were needed rather than “less intrusive” measures such as ID cards or fobs for staff.
The ICO also said employees were not provided with a clear alternative to facial and fingerprint scans.
British Information Commissioner John Edwards said: “Biometric data is completely unique to an individual, so there is a much greater risk of harm if it is inaccurate or a security breach occurs. You can’t reset someone’s face or fingerprints.” password.
“Serco Leisure prioritized business interests over employee privacy and did not adequately consider the risks before implementing biometric technology to monitor employee attendance.
“The lack of a clear way for staff to opt out of the system increases power imbalances in the workplace, leaving people in situations where they feel they have to hand over their biometric data in order to work there. .
“This is neither fair nor disproportionate under data protection law, and as the UK regulator we will scrutinize organizations and take decisive action where we believe biometric data is being used unlawfully. I’ll take it.”
A spokesperson for Serco Leisure said: “This technology was introduced in the leisure centers we manage nearly five years ago to make it easier and easier for colleagues to clock in and clock out.
“We consulted with our team members prior to the rollout and the implementation was well received by our colleagues.
“The implementation also followed external legal advice that the technology was allowed to be used.
“Despite having been aware of Serco Leisure’s use of this technology for several years, the ICO only issued an enforcement notice this week asking us to take action.
“We now understand that this coincides with the publication of new guidance for organizations on the processing of biometric data, which we expect to provide more clarity in this area. .
“We take this matter seriously and will ensure we fully comply with the enforcement notice.”
Serco Leisure is a subsidiary of Serco Group.