Biometric scan to enter club and go out for smoke

lostexpectation

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2009/apr/12/club-gets-thumbs-up-to-fingerprint-customers/

DATA protection officers visited a Dublin nightclub following concerns over 'finger-scanning' equipment used to keep tabs on customers.

But the venue manager, who first introduced the technology to Ireland, has insisted it is not a biometric data recorder and cannot differentiate between customers.

The machines – which can tell whether or not a customer has already been inside the nightclub – are simply used as a welcome substitute to the traditional 'ink stamp'.

Following an inspection of the machines, they were given the all-clear, said Philip Roe of Tamango night club in Portmarnock, north Dublin.

"Someone rang them up – a customer who was obviously concerned about it – and the Data Protection Office got in touch with us," he said.

"They wanted to come out and have a look at it but they said it was absolutely fine because it doesn't hold any information."

The machines are called 'Smokescreen' as they were initially designed to allow people in and out of a premises following the introduction of the UK's smoking ban but have now been welcomed as a means to avoid ink stamps on patrons' hands.

Following their success at Tamango, they were also introduced by two other Dublin venues – Krystle on Harcourt Street and Parker Browns in Dundrum – both eager to find an efficient monitoring system that negates the need for hand stamps.

"You put your finger on the scanner and it looks for four or five different points on your finger and it converts this to a code. It doesn't store any fingerprints," explained Rowe.

"People had been getting ink stamps on their hands and then we were using a UV scanner which was rubbing off so I eventually came across the bio-scan. At the end of the night you just reset the machine for the next night."

The system has been welcomed, not only as an accurate means to allow customers in and out of certain areas of clubs, but also as a way to prevent customers cheating the stamp system and entering for free.

---

April 12, 2009
Comments
#1 Run to da hills commented, on April 12, 2009 at 7:48 p.m.:

This is a step in the wrong direction. ONce we accept these in public life it won't be long untill the government bring in true fingerprint scanners.

if you dont intend to go outside to smoke do you still have to be scanned to go in?

My name is URL

wtf is this, Gattacca?

Professey Chin

Thats good publicity. I wanna go play with them now

kraggy

Jesus Christ that's so pretentious.

Typical a club like that would have it.

lostexpectation

you want to go tomangos?

D3UC3 J3

Going tonight... Will check it out!

Epic Tissue

Seems like a good idea!

AnonoBoy

So double arm amputees aren't allowed out for a smoke then, no?

Discriminating bastards.

Professey Chin

AnonoBoy wrote: »

So double arm amputees aren't allowed out for a smoke then, no?

Discriminating bastards.

How would they even smoke

Mark200

AnonoBoy wrote: »

So double arm amputees aren't allowed out for a smoke then, no?

Discriminating bastards.

Well they couldn't get a hand stamp either... :cool:

subway

this has been in tomangos for over a year.
i complained to the dp commisioner about it.

its for the cloakroom, not the smoking area.

Blisterman

Some clubs in England scan your ID. Now that's a bit much. Who really cares about fingerprints. You leave them everywhere without a thought.

Professey Chin

Blisterman wrote: »

Some clubs in England scan your ID. Now that's a bit much. Who really cares about fingerprints. You leave them everywhere without a thought.

Not true. I wash the weapons and the bodies after

AnonoBoy

Mark200 wrote: »

Well they couldn't get a hand stamp either... :cool:

Face stamp FTW!!!

Ciaran500

Look who the first comment on that article is by

Saibh

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Look who the first comment on that article is by

Very good, wonder is it him?

lostexpectation

hehe he has a point

lostexpectation

subway wrote: »

this has been in tomangos for over a year.
i complained to the dp commisioner about it.

its for the cloakroom, not the smoking area.

its overkill whats wrong with a raffle ticket?

Run_to_da_hills

This is nothing, a club in Barcelona implants its customers to pay for drink and enter their VIP lounge. :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3697940.stm

Gummy Panda

Upward Spiral wrote: »

wtf is this, Gattacca?

dibs on Uma Thurman

SV

What's wrong with a stamp?

towel401

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

This is nothing, a club in Barcelona implants its customers to pay for drink and enter their VIP lounge. :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3697940.stm

there's a pub around here where they anal probe everyone to make sure your not smuggling any drink in

Fringe

Damn, the whole drawing the stamp to get in wouldn't work anymore if this was implemented everywhere.

Zillah

It was analysed and confirmed that it doesn't store data. All it does it create a unique ID based on the fingerprint which is deleted at the end of the night so they don't have to bother stamping people or any of that crap.

I think it's a way more efficient system.

Now, American border control where they make a file with my name and personal details, passport scan, fingerprints and snapshot...that can go to bloody flaming hell you scary psycho mofos.

KeyLimePie

AnonoBoy wrote: »

So double arm amputees aren't allowed out for a smoke then, no?

Discriminating bastards.

in fairness though if a double arm amputee can't really go for a smoke, and second of all if a double arm amputee was in a nightclub the bouncers would definitely remember them

Red Alert

About time we started fingerprinting the smokers...

luckat

Smoke enough and you will be a double amputee, tbh.

Aidric

towel401 wrote: »

there's a pub around here where they anal probe everyone to make sure your not smuggling any drink in

Sounds fair. Where's that?

Sleipnir

No more stamps on my hand? How the **** I am supposed to know where I've been when I wake up?

towel401

Aidric wrote: »

Sounds fair. Where's that?

Killavullen

towel401

Fringe wrote: »

Damn, the whole drawing the stamp to get in wouldn't work anymore if this was implemented everywhere.

you'd just have to copy and glue on a few fake fingerprints. not actually that hard to do. especially with inaccurate cheap equipment like they're using for this

Leejo

It's only used for the cloakroom so if you lose your ticket you can still get your coat back quickly. It's a nothing story really.

lostexpectation

Leejo wrote: »

It's only used for the cloakroom so if you lose your ticket you can still get your coat back quickly. It's a nothing story really.

i'd take my chances with the ticket

Leejo

lostexpectation wrote: »

i'd take my chances with the ticket

Yeah... But to get the ticket you scan your right forefinger. It's used as a back-up nothing else. Don't see the big deal about this at all.

FruitLover

towel401 wrote: »

there's a pub around here where they anal probe everyone to make sure your not smuggling any drink in

If that's the George you're talking about, it's just how they say hello there...

Keogg

:O
but... but stamps are so much fun when you're locked.

I mean its like 'stampity stamp stamp!'

netwhizkid

Stamps and fingerprints are so lame. In Germany some of the clubs use good old fashioned wristbands which they wrap around your wrist when you go in and are tough to get off, I had to ask the hotel I was in to borrow a scissors the next morning to cut mine off. Typical German efficiency and no need for Big Brother either.

dioltas

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

This is nothing, a club in Barcelona implants its customers to pay for drink and enter their VIP lounge. :eek:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3697940.stm

Thats fcuking madness! They can shove they're vip up they're holes!

netwhizkid

dioltas wrote: »

Thats fcuking madness! They can shove they're vip up they're holes!

Thats pretty much what they are trying to do actually with the entire micro chipping thing.

lostexpectation

Leejo wrote: »

Yeah... But to get the ticket you scan your right forefinger. It's used as a back-up nothing else. Don't see the big deal about this at all.

why can't they just use a raffle ticket on its own?

Adyx

We've had a similar thing in place for years. We mainly used for employees clocking in and out but we had two more for people entering the club and people entering the "VIP" area. With our system it did identify you as you had to have your own assigned number. It wasn't a finger print scanner but it seemed to match the stored profile of your hand with the number. We don't use it any more even for employees. It was ridiculously prone to breaking down.

Adyx

Adyx wrote: »

We've had a similar thing in place for years. We mainly used for employees clocking in and out but we had two more for people entering the club and people entering the "VIP" area. With our system it did identify you as you had to have your own assigned number. It wasn't a finger print scanner but it seemed to match the stored profile of your hand with the number. We don't use it any more even for employees. It was ridiculously prone to breaking down.

They had one of those in the Centra where I worked. The manager used to love not having to pay me for days worked as teh machine was down and there was no way to record if I was at work or not that day. Over a two week period they refused to pay me for 3 days as the machine wasn't working. I had a few choice words for her the manager after that.

ShooterSF

lostexpectation wrote: »

why can't they just use a raffle ticket on its own?

Because people loose them and then complain that they want their jacket and "it's that one over there" etc. Pretty annoying. You also find people, usually the ladies, don't like getting stamped (he he).
I think it's a great idea. What is it with technophobes?!

Gone Drinking

Never going clubbing without my tinfoil hat again..