Get the latest tech news

Leisure firm told scanning staff faces is illegal

The data watchdog orders Serco Leisure to stop using facial recognition technology on its employees.

It also found the firm had failed to show why the practice was necessary when there were less intrusive ways of monitoring staff attendance, such as ID cards or fobs. John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, said Serco Leisure had increased the "power imbalance in the workplace", and left employees feeling like they had no choice but to hand over their biometric data. "Serco Leisure did not fully consider the risks before introducing biometric technology to monitor staff attendance, prioritising business interests over its employees' privacy," he said.

Get the Android app