In Touch, a British company, is testing its first install of a customer database system which will voluntarily register nightclub patrons as they're admitted. A fingerprint scan and a mugshot, along with all the necessary personal information, guarantee that partygoers in the Somerset town of Yeovil won't have to carry identification while they're clubbing.

Any nightclub can make the initial registration as all Yeovil late night clubs are wired to access the same database. Walk from one club to the next, scan the index finger, and seeing no black marks on your record the doormen will gladly wave you in.

It's a perfect system for safe nightclubs... until you realize that a bunch of creepy nightclub owners have all your personal information without government accountability to keep them honest. As one would expect, the privacy watchdogs are up in arms.

The Guardian and The Telegraph differ in their reporting, but the fingerprint scans may become mandatory for all the participating bars. Honestly though, it's only a matter of time until we see Tsutomu Matsumoto outside a busy pub selling his wares to the queue.

There's a nice nonlinkable video of this story at CNN's tech section this week, and an older story on it via the BBC.