Heathrow center of 'surveillance society?'

LONDON, March 24 (UPI) -- A British government agency charged with data protection said it was worried that plans to fingerprint airline passengers will lead to a "surveillance society."

The Information Commissioner's Office, the British data protection agency, said a decision to fingerprint passengers at Heathrow's new terminal was illegal because it violated data protection laws, The Times of London said Monday.

"Our concern is with the surveillance society. Is this another step on the road toward that kind of society?" an Information Commissioner representative said.

The British government denies claims that it asked the British Airports Authority to take the fingerprints of passengers at security checkpoints to later check at the gate to verify the ticketed passenger is the same one boarding the plane.

BAA officials said the British government needed enhanced security measures at Heathrow due to its capacity and profile, adding, "We are confident that there is no breach of the Data Protection Act and nor do these measures affect the fundamental rights of our passengers, principally because we encrypt all data immediately and destroy it within 24 hours."