UK watchdog orders Serco to stop using facial recognition to monitor staff

(Reuters) -Britain's data protection watchdog on Friday ordered outsourcing company Serco Group to stop using facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning to monitor employee attendance in its leisure business.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said its investigation found Serco Leisure, Serco Jersey and seven associated community leisure trusts had been unlawfully processing the biometric data of more than 2,000 employees at 38 leisure facilities.

Employees have not been proactively offered an alternative to having their faces and fingers scanned to clock in and out of their place of work, and it has been presented as a requirement in order to get paid, according to the ICO.

A spokesperson for the company said the technology was introduced nearly five years ago following external legal advice and that it was "well-received" by colleagues.

"We take this matter seriously and confirm we will fully comply with the enforcement notice," the spokesperson said.

London-listed Serco provides defence, security, immigration, health and transport services for governments.

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)