From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds@airnet.net> Subject: IP: [FP] FW: CA Fingerprinting legislation Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 22:12:08 -0500 To: ignition-point@majordomo.pobox.com ====================================================================== SCAN THIS NEWS 9/9/98 [Forwarded message] ====================================================================== Fr: Jon Golinger, CALPIRG Re: Wrap-up on Bank Fingerprinting/Biometrics Legislation in California this year Date: 9/9/98 As you know, there was significant activity in the State Legislature this year surrounding the use of fingerprints and other biometric identifiers by banks and commercial entities. This is an effort to summarize what happened this year and solidify a coalition to work together on these issues next year and in years to come. There were two main bills introduced to address the fingerprinting/biometrics issue - SB 1622 by Senator Steve Peace, which would have prohibited banks from fingerprinting customers, and AB 50 by Assemblyman Kevin Murray, which would have created some guidelines for the use of fingerprints and other biometrics in the commercial sector. Neither piece of legislation passed this year. SB 1622, backed by CALPIRG, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, ACLU, Ralph Nader, and others, was approved by the State Senate and the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Opposed by the California Bankers Association and some law enforcement officials, the bill was voted down in the Assembly Banking Committee in early August and remained there for the rest of the year. AB 50, backed by the California Bankers Association and some law enforcement officials, was heavily amended and approved by just one Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, after extensive negotiations. Opposed by Nader, ACLU, CALPIRG, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and the California Reinvestment Committee, AB 50 was expected to pass but was pulled from the Senate Floor and killed by leadership the day before the session ended. So, the status quo leaves many California banks still fingerprinting customers and the potential for other commercial uses of biometrics very much an open question. However, the banks and their allies failed to close the door on this issue by passing the weak "consumer protections" in AB 50 that would have effectively paved the way for fingerprinting and biometrics in a variety of commercial situations and made it difficult to pass consumer-friendly legislation in the future. This issue will surely be the subject of legislation next year. I believe that it would be in the interests of those concerned about privacy, discrimination, and "Big Brother" issues related to this subject to begin discussions or meetings before the new legislative session begins about a plan for the coming year. We may also want to consider establishing a "Privacy Coalition" to work on these and related issues as they arise. I will be in touch with interested groups and individuals about this in the coming weeks. We can be certain of one thing: the banks and their allies will be back. So will we. -----Original Message----- From: Jon L Golinger [mailto:calpirg.golinger@juno.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 1998 2:56 PM To: mcdonald@networkusa.org Subject: CA Fingerprinting legislation ======================================================================= Reply to: <fingerprint@networkusa.org> ======================================================================= To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to <majordomo@efga.org> and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY. Or, to be removed type "unsubscribe scan" in the message BODY. For additional instructions see www.efga.org/about/maillist.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Scan This News" is Sponsored by S.C.A.N. Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page: www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml ======================================================================= ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************