Fingerprint Scanners Replace Punch Clocks at Workplaces

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:56 AM EDT

Article Source: FOXNews.com

technology, fingerprint-scanners, replace-punch-clocks

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.

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{"commentId":1629969,"authorDomain":"SVForbes"}

ShaunV

"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."

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1 vote

#1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:57 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630009,"authorDomain":"kylen"}

KyleN

I disagree with their fears. A punch card or time keeping system is a time keeping system. Making it more efficient is meaningless there is no reason to oppose a more efficient means of collecting the same data. The idea that it will result in employees losing something is terrible as it assumes that their members or employees are systematically cheating and can't anymore. If you clocked in and out when you start and stop then a biometric version makes zero difference. If you call your friend to punch you in because you are stuck in traffic or running late then well you are lying and need to address the real problem. Being late and not clearing it with your sup.

The salary employees using it is kinda weird though. Our company uses one for the hourly employees in some offices slowly rolling it out to the larger ones. But they don't bother with salary because they don't clock time anyway. Paid for work output however long that takes or doesn't take.

{"commentId":1630009,"threadId":"241547","contentId":"1396113","authorDomain":"kylen"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:07 AM EDT

{"commentId":1630018,"authorDomain":"SVForbes"}

ShaunV

Good points.

{"commentId":1630018,"threadId":"241547","contentId":"1396113","authorDomain":"SVForbes"}

1 vote

#2.1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:09 AM EDT

{"commentId":1635018,"authorDomain":"Infohack"}

Infohack

The idea that it will result in employees losing something is terrible as it assumes that their members or employees are systematically cheating and can't anymore.

They are losing something; the expectation of a certain level of privacy. And once again the counter argument?

Jon Mooney, Ingersoll Rand's general manger of biometrics, said the privacy concerns are unfounded. The hand scanners don't keep large databases of people's fingerprints — only a record of their hand shape, he said.

Sure. But there's nothing stopping the development of a database. Just one more step towards a completely Orwellian surveillance society. Biometrics are fine for businesses with legitimate security concerns. But Dunkin Donuts? What's next, DNA samples for McDonald's employees?

{"commentId":1635018,"threadId":"241547","contentId":"1396113","authorDomain":"Infohack"}

1 vote

#2.2 - Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:45 PM EDT

{"commentId":1637326,"authorDomain":"kylen"}

KyleN

expectation of a certain level of privacy

I don't understand privacy in this context. What privacy? The ability to lie without getting caught as easy? That isn't privacy.

Tech that can lead to databases of information. We have cameras and ability to store images. We can and have taken pictures of people and yet nobody decries that's an impossible violation and yet it's far more privacy intrusive than biometric identification on fingerprints. In fact it's simply a very tiny picture of part of a finger.

The tech in these lines is geared to positive identification with least effort and chance of error. All information gained is already gained only with more effort and higher chance of error. How is privacy served by higher error rates? If it was between no data collection and some data collection that would be one thing but it's not.

{"commentId":1637326,"threadId":"241547","contentId":"1396113","authorDomain":"kylen"}

1 vote

#2.3 - Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:56 PM EDT

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Fingerprint Scanners Replace Punch Clocks at Workplaces

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