Serco Leisure ordered to stop using facial recognition tech on 2,000 staff

23 February 2024 , 12:48

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The UK's privacy watchdog said Serco Leisure was wrong to use this tech to check if staff were at work. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Serco Leisure has been told to stop using facial recognition tech on workers.

The UK's privacy watchdog said Serco Leisure was wrong to use this tech to check if staff were at work. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found that Serco Leisure and some leisure trusts were not allowed to use the face and fingerprint data of over 2,000 workers at 38 places.

They used facial recognition and fingerprint scanning to see when workers were there and then pay them for their time. The ICO said Serco Leisure didn't explain why they needed to use these ways instead of simpler ones like ID cards or fobs for staff.

The ICO also said workers had no choice other than having their faces and fingerprints scanned. John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, said: "Biometric data is wholly unique to a person so the risks of harm in the event of inaccuracies or a security breach are much greater you can't reset someone's face or fingerprint like you can reset a password."

"Serco Leisure did not fully consider the risks before introducing biometric technology to monitor staff attendance, prioritising business interests over its employees' privacy. There is no clear way for staff to opt out of the system, increasing the power imbalance in the workplace and putting people in a position where they feel like they have to hand over their biometric data to work there."

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"This is neither fair nor proportionate under data protection law and, as the UK regulator, we will closely scrutinise organisations and act decisively if we believe biometric data is being used unlawfully."

A spokesperson from Serco Leisure said: "This technology was introduced at the leisure centres we manage nearly five years ago to make clocking-in and out easier and simpler for colleagues. We engaged with our team members in advance of its rollout and its introduction was well-received by colleagues."

"The introduction also followed external legal advice which said use of the technology was permitted. They added that even though Serco Leisure's use of this technology has been known for some years, it was only this week that the ICO issued an enforcement notice and requested action."

The spokesperson added: "This timing conveniently aligns with the new guidance for organisations on processing of biometric data being published. We hope this will throw more light on the issue. We take this matter seriously and confirm we will fully comply with the enforcement notice." Serco Leisure is part of the larger Serco Group.

Lawrence Matheson