Biometric system for Pubs & Clubs trialled in UK town.

A new Biometric system is being trialled in a UK town in the hope of expanding it throughout the country.
It is the first of it's kind being a networked system supported by the police in the community and incorporating a biometric ID system.
Customers will be required to register full personal details including Name, Address, Date of Birth, a Photograph and a fingerprint scan of their index finger. This will allow a networked database to be created allowing pub and club owners to collaborate on who is allowed into their premises and who is excluded.
Anyone in breach of decent behaviour will be flagged on the system, immediately transferring the information throughout the network before they have time to travel to the next venue.



While I think this is a good idea in many ways, so I do indeed look forward to it arriving to my home town in some respects, I can see various means of misuse depending on how the system is administered.

If there is open access on the system allowing people to look up personal details, this could be problematic due to Dick behind the bar having a grudge on someone and getting all their personal information..

Also, even though they say the scheme is voluntary at present, one can see that it would be useless if this was always the case - as anyone who has bad intentions would obivously 'choose' not to register.
This scheme will abviously become compulsary, individuals with 'nothing to hide' will have little reason not to join up and will be coaxed into doing so. This will leave the few that do have something to hide, who will have little choice other than face accusations of 'having something to hide' and having to comply - or be excluded.

These people will basically have three choices:

1) Either refuse to comply and be excluded
2) Comply and have to behave
3) Comply and misbehave - ending up excluded

Hence a win-win-win situation.

However, if the system is controlled well then the benefits do outweigh the losses, this could make a big, positive, difference in the growing trend of disruption endured in many British towns and cities in th 21st Century.

Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk
www.mirror.co.uk
www.westgaz.co. uk

[edit on 10-2-2006 by AgentSmith]

[edit on 13-2-2006 by DJDOHBOY]

Luckily I am not a drunk alcoholic because I do not drink any beverage that has alcohol in it. That being said, why should I have to register if I am just going to go inside with a group of my friends but I am not going to drink? This better only apply to those who actually drink and purchase drinks, and not apply to all who enter the pub to hang out with friends.

What happens when an asshole bartender/any employee or his friends start being power junkies and harrassing people. Those who try and stop them become flagged. I sure hope nothing like this will come stateside.

I feel bad for you Britons. I see many controls being set upon your citizens quite often that affect their everyday lives. Even with all the Patriot Act mumbo jumbo and domestic spying, the biggest control on our citizens lives I have noticed that affect our everyday lives is extra searching at the airport and recently at sports venues (NFL). As far as everything else, life hasnt gotten much different since the last ten years that I could remember.

You already have it stateside, 6 month old babies arent allowed to fly if they have a name thats similar to one on the watch list. Privacy invasion is far, far worse in the US than the UK so theres no need to feel sorry for us.

Its a trial, I think they will find most people wont go to pubs that use it and they will lose business and we will hear no more about it.

Also, your post is very patronising implying anyone who drinks is an alcoholic and you fail to see that people who dont drink could also cause trouble so of course they will have to go through it too.

[edit on 11-2-2006 by Flyer]

While it may appear that the UK and to me it seems even Australia are up to some things that pale in comparison to the US concerns over things like the Patriot Act, I find it nagging at me constantly that other nations are just being used as a testing ground.

Anything going on like this in the UK should worry all of us.