Are Fingerprint Time Clocks a Security Concern?

In the world of workforce management fingerprint time clocks have become common for accurate and reliable timekeeping. But as with any biometric technology, a question that always comes up is: Are fingerprint time clocks a security concern?

It’s a valid question that we hear often.

The Appeal of Fingerprint Time Clocks

We’ll start with why businesses often choose fingerprint-based time clocks over their traditional counterparts. They’re low-cost, efficient devices that eliminate common issues like “buddy punching”  where one employee clocks in for another. Unlike traditional swipe cards or PIN systems, fingerprints are unique to the individual and cannot be shared making them much harder to fake to manipulate than a barcode-printed badge.

What Data is Stored?

Many people believe that fingerprint time clocks store a complete image of the employee’s fingerprint. However, most systems store the image of the fingerprint at all. Instead, the fingerprint is converted into a template, which is a mathematical calculation of key data points on the fingerprint.

What are the Security Concerns?

Even with stored templates and not images, any system that collects biometric data should be taken seriously.  Here are a few concerns that sometimes come up.

Data Breaches: Could unauthorized individuals access sensitive data?

Employee Privacy: Are companies collecting more data than necessary?

Compliance:  Are biometric systems following the laws in place?

These are all important concerns, especially in states with biometric privacy laws like Illinois, Texas, and Washington. It is essential that companies using fingerprint time clocks get informed consent from employees,