At 24 Hour Fitness, the entire fingerprint isn't actually scanned; random points on the print are recorded and then assigned a unique number, said regional vice president Troy Croghan. And the company never sells member information, he said.
Although the new system is optional, 97 percent of members who have been asked have signed up, Croghan said.
"For a majority of our members, this has proven to be an easier way to gain access to the club," he said.
Croghan also touted the increased security with the elimination of lost or stolen membership cards, as well as the green benefits of no longer depending on plastic cards.
It's good to see more articles attempting to inform readers of how biometric identity management technologies work and focusing on a cost-benefit analysis rather than lazily tossing around terms like "fingerprinting" and "Big Brother".
Gina Kim of the Sacramento Bee did a great job on this article.
UPDATE:
For a useful counterpoint, see this article on the same event. Find an uninformed gym user, a company man and two "privacy advocates" and the piece pretty much writes itself!
