Facial recognition presented as a "user friendly" system for airports



[ad_1]

Facial recognition systems are used to speed up the boarding process at Dulles International Airport and could eventually eliminate the need for an identity card.

As the use of facial recognition technology is giving rise to scrutiny, a new system unveiled at Washington Dulles Airport is being touted as a "user-friendly" way of reducing congestion for air travelers.

Dulles officials unveiled on Thursday two new facial recognition systems, one meeting the legal requirements for biometric entry and exit registrations, and the other to expedite the treatment of arriving travelers on international flights.

The increasing use of facial recognition has sparked a debate on privacy surveillance and protection around the world, but officials say the system is a way to reduce delays and delays without compromising privacy. security.

"The technology works," US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told reporters at the unveiling of an airport.

"It's fast, friendly, flexible and cost-effective, and we think it will change the face of international travel."

Over time, officials say the biometric recognition system will allow the traveler to avoid the need for a boarding pass.

"No more searching for your boarding card when you have two hand luggage, maybe a kid, no longer need to try to find a QR code or try to refresh your screen", said McAleenan.

In a test of the system, McAleenan said the 350 passengers boarding for an Airbus A380 had been completed in 20 minutes, half the normal time.

At Dulles, officials showed how new systems, working with iPads installed on poles, identified and matched the image of travelers during the boarding process.

Aim for speed, safety

The system is designed to enhance security by ensuring that travelers use their real passports and not falsified documents, corresponding to existing passport photos or images collected from foreign nationals upon entry.

The Dulles system was put into service in mid-August, before the media event, and three days later, a man tried to use a fake passport to enter the United States.

A woman embarking on a SAS flight to Copenhagen goes through a facial recognition verification system at Dulles International Airport

The 26-year-old man traveling from Sao Paulo to Brazil sought to enter with a French passport, but the biometric face comparison system determined that he did not match the passport he was presenting.

A search revealed that the authentic identity card of the Republic of Congo was concealed in his shoe.

Officials say the new systems are only developed for the boarding and entry process and are not linked to other databases for law enforcement oversight.

"We do not collect or store any new data," McAleenan said.

"We have to confirm that travelers are the ones they say they are."

Dulles is one of 14 "early adoption airports" using facial recognition technology for the entry process.

McAleenan said that because the new system uses only its own images and photos, its accuracy rate is "99%".

"We do not see any significant difference by gender or race," he added.

According to McAleenan, the CPB system was developed within the agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, with unspecified technology partners.

Privacy activists say the facial recognition databases used are few and the technology raises fears of a "Big Brother" surveillance state, highlighting China.

The American Civil Liberties Union has repeatedly opposed the deployment of facial recognition at the airport, including problems of efficiency and accuracy.

Jay Stanley, ACLU's policy analyst, warns that the rollout "normalizes face recognition as a checkpoint technology" and could eventually lead to a "mission creep".

"We have seen these technologies spread from airports and now they are used in all kinds of places, including some high schools," Stanley told AFP.


Explore more:
Face recognition includes a fake passport user at the US airport

[ad_2]
Source link