Leisure firm told scanning staff faces is illegal

A leisure firm has been warned by privacy regulators that its practice of scanning staff faces as they sign in for work is illegal.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said collecting such data without consent breached data protection laws.

The firm in question used facial recognition technology to clock in and out of shifts.

John Smith, the ICO’s Director of Investigations, said: “Scanning staff faces as a means of monitoring their working hours is a serious breach of their privacy rights. Companies must adhere to data protection laws when collecting and handling personal data, including biometric information.”

The ICO has instructed the leisure firm to cease the practice immediately and delete all data collected through facial scanning.

Employers are reminded to be mindful of the privacy rights of their staff and ensure that any data collection methods comply with relevant laws and regulations.