I don't know whether to despair at the corruption and short-sightedness
of requiring security equipment purchases only from IOC sponsors, or
rejoice at the idea of Oyster cards not getting biometrics.

Whose £1 billion is it anyway?

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=9117

"Ideas on authentication are being floated. London's mass transit card,
called the Oyster, is capable of acting as an identity card and can
store fingerprints, Wyatt said. Nokia also has an ID authentication
system for mobile phones, another possible alternative since many people
carry them, he said.

"But neither Transport for London, the authority that runs the Oyster
card programme, nor Nokia are lead Olympic sponsors, "so we can't use
their technology", Wyatt said. "


For a more pointed critique, see:
http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/editori...security.thtml