UK has passed a new rule under which all the international as well domestic passengers at the airports around the country would be fingerprinted.

The reason behind the introduction of this new rule has come from the concern of the common departure lounges, which could allow an incoming international passenger, who could also be a terrorist or criminal, to switch tickets with an accomplice booked on a domestic flight.

While the Britain’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner has criticized this new system, the Home Office thinks it as a security initiative as they are determined to strengthen their borders by using new technology.

The new rules that will apply to the compulsory fingerprinting of passengers going in and out of UK are being currently finalized by the UK Home Office. The new law is expected to be implemented by the next year.

The passengers will now have to get their fingerprints scanned once they pass through security and then they will be scanned again at the departure gate. The advantage of this system is that the police and similar security could now check the fingerprints in relation to the Interpol database of international watch lists.

The Information Commissioners Office thinks that this is just a scheme to ensure that travelers spend more money in ‘duty-free’ shops. The BAA website recently posted, “Domestic passengers will in future use the same departure lounges as international passengers. That means all our passengers will enjoy the same wide choice of shops and restaurants.”

The Home Office believes that the current measures, under which the passengers that have common domestic and international terminals are just photographed as they pass through security is not enough.

The people who are criticizing the new law claim that until now, photographic identification had been relied upon by the authorities with much success, then why is fingerprinting necessary?

The seaports and Channel Tunnel rail links would be the next ones to adopt this system, once it gets implemented by the airports across the country.