Serco Leisure, a prominent leisure firm based in the UK, finds itself at the centre of a regulatory storm as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) intensifies its scrutiny. The ICO has raised serious concerns over the alleged illegal processing of biometric data, affecting more than 2,000 employees spread across 38 leisure facilities operated by the company. At the heart of the matter is the contentious implementation of facial scanning and fingerprint technology, ostensibly deployed to track staff attendance. This move has drawn sharp criticism from the ICO, which contends that the company’s actions in this regard are not only ethically questionable but also fall short of principles of fairness and proportionality.
Despite Serco Leisure claiming it sought legal advice before installing the cameras and asserting that employees did not complain during the five years, the ICO found the firm had failed to provide a clear alternative to collecting biometric data. The company’s staff, who also undergo fingerprint scanning, were not offered less intrusive methods, such as ID cards or fobs.
The ICO, led by UK Information Commissioner John Edwards, argued that Serco Leisure’s actions created a power imbalance in the workplace, leaving employees feeling compelled to surrender their biometric data. Edwards emphasised that the company neglected to fully assess the risks associated with biometric technology, prioritising business interests over employee privacy.
According to the ICO, biometric data, being uniqu
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