Tenants in a downtown Montreal building are being asked to provide their fingerprints in order to get into the building. (Shawn Apel/CBC)Quebec's access to information commission is expressing concern about a new biometric security system installed in a downtown Montreal apartment building.

Some residents of the building on Pine Avenue say they will not use a new security system the landlord plans to install that would require tenants to provide a fingerprint to get into the building.

Several residents of the building, owned by Trylon Properties, told CBC News the idea of having their finger scanned each time they enter the building to make sure their fingerprint matches that of one of the registered tenants makes them feel uneasy.

Right to refuse

Brenda Stringer is one of at least two tenants who have refused to use the scan. She said she is concerned about what will happen to her personal information.

"If people don't make a fuss, I could see it creeping into a lot of places, until before we know it, we have a Big Brother situation on our hands," she said.

Information never stays in one place, said Stringer's husband, Ron, who has also refused to have his finger scanned.

"[It] has a tendency to go in many unintended places," he said. "If you store someone's fingerprints now, what is the situation going to be in a year, five years? And the other thing is, how often have you just heard someone say 'Trust me.' Well, I don't find that a very compelling argument."

The president of Quebec's access to information commission, Jacques St-Laurent, is concerned about what he calls a growing banalization of the collection of personal information. (CBC)

Anyone who wishes to create a database of biometric information must advise Quebec's access to information commission, said the organization's president, Jacques St-Laurent.

The information cannot be collected without prior written consent, he added.

"[Tenants] have to know that there is no obligation to give consent and if the landlord does not obtain that consent, he should give the opportunity to access the building through another means," said St-Laurent.

He expressed concern about what he calls a growing "banalization of the collection of personal information."

"It is quite surprising, because the goal to make sure the access to the apartment is secure can be achieved without going through that kind of very confidential information," said St-Laurent.

"It's a very huge responsibility to make sure that information is secure. One of the most important personal information is our biometric data."

Growing in popularity

Biometric systems such as fingerprint scanners are becoming common outside Quebec, said one of the property's owners, François Majewski.

"Our goal is to make the building as secure as possible for the well-being of our tenants," he said.

The systems are also growing in popularity among public institutions and private businesses, said Michel Leblanc of the firm S.I.C. Biometrics.

The system is secure and the scan is not like the fingerprints used by police, he said.

"We don't keep your fingerprint, we just keep points in the fingerprint," said Leblanc.

A sign posted inside the building says all tenants must submit to the scan.

But Majewski said tenants who don't want to use the biometric system can still use a swipe card and access code to get into the building.

Brenda Stringer said she's worried many tenants are agreeing to have their fingers scanned because they don't know they have a choice.