Companies in the UK are stopping using fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technology to track employees’ attendance after a privacy warning.
This comes after a company called Serco was caught using this technology illegally to track over 2,000 employees at leisure centers. The UK’s data watchdog said that Serco had to stop using this tech and many other companies are following suit.
Some companies, like Virgin Active, have already gotten rid of fingerprint scanners entirely. Others, like 1Life, are taking out systems that were not being used for fingerprints but may be able to be used in the future.
This decision is part of a larger trend of people being worried about employers using technology to spy on their employees. Unions are arguing that there should be stricter rules in place to protect workers from this kind of surveillance.
There have already been cases where this type of technology has led to problems. For example, an Uber Eats driver was unable to work for a while because the company’s facial recognition software said that his picture didn’t match his account photo.