Fingerprint Systems aren't just for use in the law enforcement industry. One national fitness club, 24 Hour Fitness, has employed fingerprint systems for access in its more than 400 nationwide clubs. Now, with the scan of a finger (along with a 10-digit code, to ensure enhanced security), members can enter the facility without having to show their ID cards.
Of course, with any security advancement, there are two sides to this debate. Proponents claim that convenience, environmental benefits (the club will no longer have to supply almost a million plastic membership cards) and cost savings are significant enough to justify this new technique. But, those against this "Big Brother-type" program fear that their privacy is at stake. Some feel that biometric devices that employ fingerprint, iris, voice or facial recognition are subject to hacking and therefore are not protected. But 24 Hour Fitness counters this argument with the implementation of the unique code, along with the fingerprint scan. And it even goes further as to encrypt a snapshot of the fingerprint ridgese into a binary code that is more secure and protected than the whole fingerprint may be. I don't know about you, but heading to the gym without my ID card sounds pretty appealing, and I'm not too worried about what trainers are going to with my BMI and rep counts. Read the full article and tell us what you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment