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Biometrics in the workplace may be the way of the future. But at what cost?


When Ellie Thomson clocks in at work, she doesn’t punch a physical clock, or even check in on an app. Instead, she scans her finger. More employers are turning to biometrics, and while Thomson isn’t worried about the fact that charbar has her fingerprint, some are raising concerns about the trend.

According to Hannah Johnston, who specializes in the digitalization of work and teaches human resources management at York University in Toronto, employers have started using biometrics in the workplace for a number of reasons. Jeff Bromley, head of the Wood Council for United Steelworkers Canada, says when fingerprint time clocks were introduced at Canfor's Plateau Sawmill in Vanderhoof, B.C., in 2022, people revolted. Diane McLeod, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, says when analyzing cases involving data collection, her office considers what's at risk if there is a breach.

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