Fingerprint scans replace clocking in

[flashl]

NEW YORK - It's happening at Dunkin' Donuts, at Hilton hotels, even at Marine Corps bases: Employees are starting and ending their days by pressing a hand or finger to a scanner that logs the precise time of their arrival and departure, and the information is automatically reflected in payroll records.

Manufacturers say these biometric devices improve efficiency and streamline payroll operations. Employers big and small buy them with the dual goals of keeping workers honest and automating outdated record-keeping systems that rely on paper time sheets.

The new systems have raised complaints, however, from some workers who see the efforts to track their movements as excessive or creepy.

"They don't even have to hire someone to harass you anymore. The machine can do it for them," said Ed Ott, executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council of the AFL-CIO. "The palm print thing really grabs people as a step too far."

Yahoo

[uppityperson]

1. Military I can see, but Dunkin Donuts?

If you are in the military, they have your fingerprints, though visitors not. Dunkin Donuts though? There is no way I would do this. Thanks for the tip off.

[Xenocrates]

2. I use my fingerprint to access..

My laptop, The cleanroom, the data center, even my portable harddrive. The technology has caught up with the fiction, and Big Brother is waiting.

You won't need your car keys anymore, just a fingertip. The State doesn't have to issue you a ID Card, they'll just use your prints. You won't be able to board a plane, Hell, you won't be able to pass thru security without a registered print.

Its coming..

[OKthatsIT]

3. It's all part of 'New Wave Economics'..funded by Congress & Bush

The War on Terror is a Fraud. But Americans dont seem to mind.

[Anexio]

4. More companies should be utilizing biometric technology

Buddy punching, (punching your buddy's timecard) has been around since, well, the invention of the timeclock.

Here's an excellent use of technology to prevent theft. I'm thinking the only people complaining are the people that are stealing.

[Callisto32]

5. OR

Those of us who would prefer not to have our biological data in some government database. Is there anything more to worry about with this technology than with current ID forms? I don't know. There are a lot of things you can't do without a passport. I suppose that it is the same thing, at least in theory. However we now have this technology and a whole slew of people who don't quite trust it, or know all the implications and potentials for abuse. In the end, I still don't like it; but I must admit that it is nothing but a personal aversion and parade of horribles style thinking.

[Anexio]

6. Interesting

Employers need better technology to keep track of their employees. There are always a few bad apples that make it harder on those of us who try to put in an honest day's work. The biometric scanner is a just a way to make sure that the person who is clocking in for their day of work is actually that person and not someone else.

There are safety concerns too with the old timecard technology. I used to work in a very large shipyard, (over 10,000 workers on first shift). In case of an emergency the security staff needs to know who is in the yard and who isn't.

Biometric scanning technology is not just about the man overlording their strength on the worker. Some employers want to make sure the environment is safe and the people that are in facility are actually the people that are supposed to be in the facility.

But regarding your comment about not having your biological data in a government database, thats not what this technology is for. When your thumbprint or hand print is scanned it's not sent back to a govm't database like you see on 24. It's simply referenced with the data that is stored in a computer that is most likely not far from the worker.

If the Fed's wanted a copy of the scanned print they would need a search warrant.

[Indy Lurker]

7. Many use hand geometry, not palm print

It looks at the thickness of your hand, and the length of your fingers. If you wear a new ring, it may not recognize you.

It does not scan your palm.

It does not transmit any of this data, it simply ties it to a clock number.