BBC mulls biometric access control

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is discussing the implementation of a biometric access control system for its network of buildings.

Reported by FMWorld, Gary Hills, the BBC’s head of capital development said the new system has been discussed as part of an overhaul of security systems at the corporation. Hills made the comments while speaking at a panel discussion on the future of security in London.

“Access ID is used – not biometrics yet, but [we are] looking at it for the second phase,” Hills is reported to have said on the panel. “[We] think it will be more acceptable now as they have it in schools and colleges.”

Like any newsroom, particularly one the size of a national broadcaster’s, it’s rare that the only people inside are employees at any given time.

“We have to think about how you manage a public thoroughfare that might go through a news room,” Hills is quoted to have said. “We don’t want to evacuate thousands of people into Oxford Circus because of a handbag.”

As of yet, it is unclear if the BBC has selected a particular system, though it’s unlikely, as the implementation has not yet been confirmed.

As we’ve reported previously, a recent market report estimates that the global electronic access control market will reach $16.3 billion by 2017, growing at a CAGR of 7% from 2012 to 2017. According to the report, the growth is mainly attributed to heightened security concerns backed by government and regulatory mandates, and biometrics is also a major contributor to this growth.

Article Topics

access control  |  security