Confusion over Olympic village site biometrics?
Writing in magazine The Register, John Ozimek states, "Confusion reigns over at the Olympic village, as security measures more appropriate to a top security prison than a construction site are put in place to 'facilitate' efficient working in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics."
Ozimek continues: "Meanwhile, an official statement by the Olympic Development Authority hints alarmingly at the need for highly intrusive security checks on local residents.
"The on-site measures are eerily reminiscent of those proposed by the UK Border Agency to police passengers arriving at UK airports, and are being supervised by none other than the UK Border Agency. These are likely to include the installation of machines capable of hand and iris recognition at entry points around the site.
"The first line of electronic defence is likely to be a photographic smart card, used in conjunction with the hand scanners: the iris-checking system will be available as back-up where there is any doubt as to the identity of the would-be construction worker.
"As for ID cards, the precise purpose of all this electronic wizardry is not clear, as the reasoning behind it appears to change according to who is asked. The present workforce of 4,500 is expected to double to 9,000 by the end of 2010, and a spokesman for the Olympic Delivery Authority emphasised the Health and Safety nature of the technology."
