Montgomery County to use finger scans at rec centers

[The Northerner]

MONTGOMERY CO, MD - Montgomery County residents will soon be required to scan their fingers to enter recreation centers.

Officials say switching from plastic passes to finger scanners will save the recreation department $50,000 annually.

The scanners will be put into use this fall at three centers, and will be expanded to all the county's centers next year. Privacy advocates say the measure is intrusive and unnecessary.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says it isn't appropriate for a community pool.

Judy Stiles, spokeswoman for the county's recreation department, says residents who don't want to use the scanners can sign in with pen and paper.

She says the scanners won't collect fingerprints and that personal data called up by machine can't be accessed by other agencies.

Source: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/state/montgomery-county-to-use-finger-scans-at-rec-centers

[LiberalFighter]

1. Scanners won't collect fingerprints?

Doh!! They must have the fingerprints on file otherwise the scanner won't find a match. Damn liars!!

[spinbaby]

2. That's not how biometrics work

Biometrics work by mapping a set number of points on a finger, converting those points to a number using an algorithm, and storing the number. When you scan the finger again, it maps the same points, converts them to a number, and checks that number against the stored number. Biometric systems don't store any information you can use to recreate a fingerprint.

But I'm sure it's just easier to imagine they're collecting fingerprints for some nefarious purpose.

[Supply Side Jesus]

3. A Boogie Man in every pot!

The American dream...