Biometric Discrimination at London Heathrow Terminal 5
The most public case of biometric discrimination planned in the UK is by BAA at London Heathrow Terminal 5. BAA intends that British citizens travelling within the UK will be coerced into providing finger prints to gain access to the departure lounge and flight. Passengers that cannot provide biometric information will be refused entry.BAA states this is necessary because the mixing of International and Domestic passengers in the departure lounge poses a security risk. Since it was BAA that approved the design of the terminal we would have expected BAA to have identified this 'security flaw'. It has been suggested that it is in BAA's financial interest to have passengers spend more time in the single lounge area, and they are prepared to compromise passengers privacy in preference for profit.
BAA claims authority from the Department of Transport to operate a policy of discrimination. This represents the most public attempt by the UK government to collect British citizens biometric data at a time when 25% of the population remain strongly opposed to a biometric identity card and database.*
At the opening of Terminal 5 on 28th March 2008, plans to enforce fingerprinting were dropped after the Information Commissioner warned BAA the plans were illegal under data protection laws.
*ICM Omnibus Poll, for Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, 3rd February 2008