PR Week Echo Columns

Just days ahead of the opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5, airport operator BAA came under pressure over plans to fingerprint all passengers as a security measure against 'passenger switching'. Following concerns issued by the campaign group Privacy International, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) warned that the plans might breach the Data Protection Act (DPA) and are another step "on the road to a surveillance society" (Times, 24 March). Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, questioned whether the measures were proportionate, saying: "We are not aware of any published evidence indicating that passenger switching has become a significant security issue" (Guardian, 24 March). Nigel Rumfitt QC, a specialist in serious crime including terrorism, said it was an "Orwellian" abuse of civil liberties (Telegraph, 24 March).
BAA defended the accusation, saying that because T5 allows domestic and international passengers to mix freely in the concourse, it was following Home Office guidelines for increased security, and that "fingerprinting was selected as the most robust method" by various government departments (bbc.co.uk, 23 March). BAA added that the security measure would allow all passengers access to the shops and restaurants in "the largest retail space in London's aviatory hub, increasing Heathrow's total shopping capacity by 50 per cent" (FT, 24 March) and would not delay the planned opening.