The Use Of (internet technology) Biometric Technology In The Car Rental Industry
No commentsBy Thomas Pretty
The car rental industry has rarely been renowned for its forward thinking attitude and embracement of new technology. However in the UK this is rapidly changing with the improvements in biometric technology. The reason car rental companies are so inclined to take advantage of biometric advances is because they can help to secure their assets and hence improve profitability. Biometric technology however does raise fundamental issues with privacy and data protection; hence it is understandable that many people have concerns with human rights and the protection of their own personal data. This issue goes beyond the car rental sphere, and instead enters a large number of other industries and business sectors.
Fingerprints form an important part of biometric recording and are especially important in the rental sphere. Companies now record customer’s fingerprints in order to create a biometric ID. One of the pilot schemes for this technology took place in Essex’s Stansted Airport. The scheme made it compulsory to submit an electronic thumbprint for any person who wished to hire a car. The forced nature of the scheme however led to many customers feeling besmirched and critical of why they should have to submit personal data.
Companies are quick to assert that this biometric data will only ever be used if the car is stolen; this will take the form of handing it over to the law enforcement bodies so that they can crosscheck their own files with the fingerprints taken at the hire desk. Police were quick to highlight the plaudits of the scheme, claiming that it was a response to the large numbers of thefts carried out by organised criminals.
This situation is becoming prevalent all across the United Kingdom; with many businesses stating that the data recorded is purely a fall back should a vehicle be stolen. These firms argue that the data will not be used for any other purpose, or passed to a third party. The ‘invasion of big brother’ claims are quickly discounted, instead the argument that the recording of biometric data will in fact act towards protecting identities is presented.
Naturally the reaction of customers was mixed. One startled customer at Stansted Airport felt that the staff members of the rental company were joking when they asked for a thumbprint. On finding out that they were serious this particular customer was dumfounded. The rather articulate response was that companies had no right to employ such an arbitrary and disproportionate tactic to fight car crime. However, the companies have such a right, after all it is their assets they are protecting.
One of the issues causing the encroachment of biometric recording has been the increasing numbers of false passports. This touted reason however did not hold sway with many customers; their argument being that if it is possible to board a plane with a passport, then why should an additional form of identity be needed to hire a car? In addition customers were understandably worried about how this data would be stored, seemingly if the government cannot hold personal data securely, then what chance do a car rental company have?
Whatever the arguments surrounding the implementation of biometric technologies it is certain that in the car rental industry they are here to stay. It is a case of put up or shut up for customers. These schemes however have not yet been rolled out all over the country; the success of these trials will undoubtedly give an indication not only of how biometrics will affect the rental industry, but will given an insight into how these technologies are likely to encroach on everyday life.
Travel expert Thomas Pretty looks into new technologies being utilised in the car rental industry.
Your Online Source For The Goddess Of Technology
The Complete Makeover of the Internet
By Fred Jones
Compared to ten years ago the internet has gone through a completely overhaul of the use and functionality from when it was first managed. Since its first introduction the internet was first used as a way for the military and universities to share data with each other respectively.
When I first got the internet at my house it was through a phone line and a 56k modem. My very first internet service provider or ISP was American Online or more commonly known as AOL. AOL was the very first internet provider I used at home and it was also very convenient because everyone that I knew also had AOL as their ISP.
However because the internet was provided through a modem by a 56k modem it was very annoying to have your connection dropped every time someone else called you or someone in your household tried using the phone. Because of this my parents got a second phone line to prevent this but even so there were the spam phone calls we would get from telemarketers.
Back in the day when AOL was extremely popular I remember a lot of things that kids all over the world would participate in. The most popular online activity that I remember kids would participate in were the online chat rooms where people would play text games and all sorts of other activities.
Other games that were extremely popular were War Craft II, Star Craft and Diablo II. I remember I would spend hours on ends with friends and random people playing these 3 games whenever I had free time. But since the major way to get internet back then was through a phone line it was a complete breakthrough for me when we got our first broadband ISP.
Compared to the very unreliable service you would normally get through a normal phone line, broadband was completely different. It would rarely disconnect you from the internet and also the amount of data was a lot faster compared to the predecessor. With the internet becoming more and more stable and reliable a new world of opportunities opens up for the everyday person. They can now create their own websites to whatever topic or theme they want. They can create communities of people with like minds to share their ideas and converse with each other.
People can either pay for web service or get free web service through one of the popular free mediums such as personal sites such as MySpace and FaceBook, to community sites such as a Forum, Bulletin Board System or Wiki page. With such methods available for anyone with access to the internet people can connect with each other no matter where they are around the world.
However this might come to an end in the US with the introduction of mediated online services that major ISPs are trying to pass through as a law within congress. The major ISPs will control the internet and will charge users fees to what they are able to see as well as the basic service of even accessing the internet.
Fred Jones
The Future Of The Car Rental Industry
By Thomas Pretty
The car rental industry has been rarely viewed as a world leader in the sense of technological development. In the past, even the quality of the cars being used was called into question, some customers claiming that the cars they hired had been so damaged by previous customers that they were just as likely to breakdown at the roadside as get you to your destination. This situation has definitely changed however; the car rental industry now embraces technological change, providing customers with an efficient and reliable service.
One of the largest influences on the car rental industry has been the impact of global warming and more widely the environmental concerns of customers. It is hoped by many car rental companies that by introducing more efficient cars into the fleet, fuel efficiency will be increased and customers will receive a better deal. This is not all of the car rental companies, but some have noticed the niche in the market for customers with an environmental conscience; revealing a wider trend not only in car hire but in society more generally.
The most obvious way that car rental companies can reduce their environmental impact is by introducing highly efficient cars into their fleets. An example would be the hybrid cars that are becoming extremely popular at the moment; they bring the benefits of a smaller environmental footprint and cheaper fuel rates for customers. Not all have embraced the introduction of hybrid cars however, some view their introduction as purely a temporary measure that in no way tackles the root causes of emissions. Additionally, the use of bio-fuel cars has been growing, while this fuel is cheap and produces less harmful emissions critics have been quick to realise that if all of the arable land in the world was turned over for the production of bio-fuel plants, then foodstuffs would be extremely short. It is all rather Malthusian but it is a good point nonetheless.
Some of the more future conscious car rental companies have been studying the ways in which to change the application of rates to customers. In the past companies would charge for the hire of a vehicle on a daily basis, meaning that if you returned the car just half an hour late, another day’s charge would be added to the bill. Many companies have noticed that this is not great customer service and have subsequently introduced an hourly pay structure into their operations. While some profits may be surrendered following this strategy, customer service will be increased whilst a bi-product is that fewer cars will be on the road at any one time.
Many car rental companies have been quick to realise the benefits of GPS technology and the ways in which it can aide their operations. GPS tracking devices give the rental company the option to track their fleet vehicles, allowing them to record the way in which cars are being driven and their location. While for many this may be seen as an invasion of privacy, it is not; it is simply a reaction to the large amount of organised crime that focuses on the theft of rental cars. With GPS technology the chances of a company recovering the stolen vehicle are increased considerably, showing that this strategy is simply a way for companies to protect their assets.
The introduction of high technology to the car rental industry has been a long time in coming. Whether this is due to a reluctance to change or simply because the technology has not been effective enough is hard to ascertain. One thing is certain however, with the introduction of GPS, biometric data recorders, environmentally friendly cars and revolutionary pay structures; the future of the car rental industry is bright.
Cultural affairs expert Thomas Pretty looks at technological and environmental strategies being implemented by the car rental industry.
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Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am and is filed under technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.