[privacy] More on Fingerprinting before you can drink

[Gordon Darling <gordondarling () dsl pipex com>]

Via Digg

http://news.com.com/In+U.K.+town%2C+its+fingerprint+before+you
+drink/2100-7348_3-6128965.html

In U.K. town, it's fingerprint before you drink
By Gemma Simpson 
Special to CNET News.com
Published: October 24, 2006, 9:20 AM PDT 

"A biometric project that scans drinkers' thumbprints before they enter
a pub has helped cut alcohol-related crime in the South Somerset town of
Yeovil, England. 

The South Somerset District Council said it has seen a 23.5 percent drop
in alcohol-related violent crime inside licensed premises in Yeovil
since the system was introduced, compared with figures from the same
period last year. 

Under the pilot project, every drinker must supply a thumbprint, name,
address and date of birth before being allowed to enter any of the seven
licensed premises in the town center using the technology. 

A drinker barred from one pub is then automatically barred from all pubs
using the system. 

A spokesman from the South Somerset District Council said the thumbprint
technology is considered to be a contributing factor to the decline in
alcohol-related crime.

But despite rumours that the technology will be introduced in other U.K.
cities, Coventry, Leeds and Sheffield city councils have all told
Silicon.com that fingerprint scanning is not a technology under
consideration. 

A spokeswoman from Sheffield City Council told Silicon.com that to
implement fingerprint recognition, the council would need access to the
police fingerprint database. She said this access is not currently
possible. 

She added: "If and when ID cards come out, we might have the technology
to do this, but we have no plans (for fingerprint recognition in pubs)
in the short term." 

Gemma Simpson of Silicon.com reported from London."

I'm off to have pint. On Foot!

Gordon



-- 
gordondarling<at>dsl<dot>pipex<dot>com

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