Ohio State University has implemented a biometric security check system for its volunteers, and not everybody is happy about it, according to an article in The Columbus Dispatch by Holly Zachariah. The policy change relates to the OSU Extension programs, in which an estimated 23,000 volunteers participate.
The new security system asks volunteers to submit their fingerprints, which are then checked against a criminal database, and the process must be done every four years. The university sees it as simply keeping in step with advancements in security screening; an OSU spokesperson said that, “while it may be an inconvenience, this is the standard today,” while a 4-H educator interviewed for the article asserted that “community volunteers are already used to churches and schools and nearly everyone else already long ago asking them to do this. It’s a logical step.”
Indeed, biometric screening technology is on the rise in various aspects of daily life. Many airports now use it for passenger screening, for example, and many police departments are now using technology to scan fingerprints in the field for comparison against criminal databases.
Fortunately for proponents of biometrics, the technology is not at fault in this particular case. It seems likely that most of those volunteers who have expressed concern over the policy change would mostly be upset about its cost, which ranges from $25 to $80, and comes out of their pockets.
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February 15, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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