Will your staff accept being fingerprinted?
In the waning hours of the Georgia Legislature’s 1995 session, a bill slipped through that required digitized fingerprints of all drivers be placed on driver’s licenses.
The result was a storm of public protest about the state invading individuals’ privacy that has forced the Legislature to reconsider its action. Could there be a similar reaction from medical personnel reluctant to trust their fingerprints to your hospital?
Results of a survey commissioned by The National Registry in Tampa, FL, appear to discount that potential problem. The company hired Alan F. Westin, a professor of public law and government at Columbia University in New York City, to conduct a survey of public perceptions about fingerprinting.
The results were as follows:
• Seventy-five percent said fingerprinting was OK to prevent someone from assuming their identity.
• Ninety-one percent said it was OK for entry to high-security areas.
• Eighty-one percent said it was OK for screening applicants for government benefit programs.
• Seventy-seven percent said it was OK for verifying the identities of people cashing large checks.
• Seventy-six percent said fingerprinting was OK to identify persons using credit cards for major purchases.
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