Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes issued his warning after it emerged that the Gresham Hotel in Dublin is the latest employer to introduce a 'biometric' system. Workers claim they were not consulted about the introduction of the system that reads handprints.
It was brought in just months after the Abbey Theatre came under fire for launching a system that reads fingerprints.
The Data Protection Commissioner said he was "concerned" about the growing use of biometric systems in the workplace "regardless of the type of biometric information collected or the technology used".
And the hotel's SIPTU branch, which represents Gresham workers, said it was investigating the new clock-in method to see whether it infringed their rights.
A Gresham employee, who did not want to be named, said staff had no problem in clocking in and out but the new system had "gone too far".
"There was no dialogue between the union and management," he told the Irish Independent.
"I've been working for the Gresham for a long time and no one spoke to us about bringing this in.
"We were left completely in the dark.
"I'm not a trouble-maker and had no problem clocking-in and out, but this worries me. ...   more »

Two-Year Project to Include 200 Patients: 21 Patients Have Already Enrolled and Received the VeriMed Microchip; 85 Potential Enrollees to Attend Next Week
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VeriChip Corporation (NASDAQ:CHIP - News), a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, and Alzheimer's Community Care, a local non-profit agency serving Alzheimer's patients and caregivers, announced today the official launch of the VeriMed(TM) Patient Identification Project. As previously announced on February 22, 2007, this project will evaluate the effectiveness of the VeriMed Patient Identification System in managing the medical records of Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. The kick-off will take place at Alzheimer's Community Care headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 28, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Patients will have the opportunity to enroll in the project and receive the VeriMed microchip by a licensed physician. In the two-year, 200 patient project, participating individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, as well as their caregivers, will receive the VeriMed microchip, providing emergency department staff easy access to those patients' identification and medical information. 
Scott R. Silverman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VeriChip, said, "We are very pleased to officially launch this important ...   more »

Bush's SPP power grab sets stage for military to manage flu threats
By Jerome R. Corsi
David Nabarro is new U.N. system influenza coordinator
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canada released a plan that established U.N. law along with regulations by the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law and set the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies.
The "North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza" was finalized at the SPP summit last week in Montebello, Quebec.
At the same time, the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and has been running exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.
With virtually no media attention, in 2005 President Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza, placing the country under international guidelines not specifically determined by domestic agencies.
The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York.  
The ...   more »