BYJEAN CARMELA LIM 2023-03-10

MONOPOLY919 / Shutterstock.com

We have often wondered what airports will look like in the future. But with the fast development of new technology, the future airports that we envisioned seem to be gradually becoming a reality.

From advanced biometric capture software and shoe scanners to immersive retail experiences, AeroTime takes a closer look at five newly implemented innovations that are coming to an airport near you.

Biometric technology 

Image credit: metamorworks / Shutterstock.com

Biometric technology has been around since 1969 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pushed for the use of automated fingerprint identification. The first fingerprint scanners were introduced in 1975, and in the 1990s and 2000s, biometric security authentication is commonplace in companies and institutions. 

In 2001, United States legislation mandated the use of biometrics at airports for entry and exit following the 9/11 attacks. Since then, the use of biometrics, particularly hand and fingerprint scanning, have been widely used in airports worldwide. 

The pandemic accelerated the development of non-contact biometric authentication to facilitate a more hygienic and seamless experience for passengers. The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2021 global passenger survey showed that 73% of passengers were willing to share their biometric data to improve airport processes (up from 46% in 2019).

According to the Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques (SITA) 2021 Air Transport IT Insights, nearly a quarter of airports worldwide had begun to invest in biometric solutions and airline investment in biometric boarding is expected to rise 60% by 2024. 

Two notable airlines that use contactless biometrics for its passenger processing are Emirates and British Airways.

Emirates’ biometric path at Dubai International Airport (DXB) launched in October 2020 and is open to Emirates passengers traveling from and through DXB airport. 

Using the latest biometric technology, a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the airline lounge, and board flights, simply by strolling through the airport. Biometric data can be collected without the need for passengers to even stop. 

In November 2022, British Airways launched a “smart technology trial”, where a group of passengers were invited to scan their faces, passports and boarding passes on their smartphone or tablet ahead of travel. The information was kept safe and secure. 

When the trial passengers arrived at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5,  Smart Bio-Pod cameras verified their identity in under three seconds, allowing them to keep their passport safely in their pocket until they reached their destination. 

Mobile passport control app 

Image credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock.com

Some of the latest airport security innovations can literally be kept in the palm of a hand.

Launched in March 2023, the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Mobile Passport Control (MPC) program is now a mobile phone app that allows eligible passengers flying to the US from Canada to avoid the customs queue. 

According to the CBP, travelers who successfully use the MPC app will no longer have to complete a paper form or use an automated passport control (APC) kiosk. As a result, travelers may experience shorter wait times, less congestion and more efficient processing.

The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App and Google Play stores. This technology is made possible because of secure information sharing. Travelers will be prompted to create a profile with their passport information, including the traveler’s name, gender, date of birth, and country of citizenship.

 It is currently available for eligible travelers to use upon arrival at MPC approved sites.

Next generation explosives trace detection

Image credit: Suppawit Rmmabut / Shutterstock.com

The MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a US-government funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology towards national security. 

In February 2023, the lab announced that its researchers are working to develop an explosive detection system that would work in tandem with a canine fleet to improve current airport security systems. 

Researchers are developing a machine that can mimic canine abilities to detect concealed explosives, a ‘superpower’ of four-legged friends that airports have relied on for decades.

The team’s research builds on the laboratory’s ongoing work to create and use a mass spectrometer to help train bomb-sniffing dogs, a project that is supported by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Detection Canine Program. 

Researchers are using the spectrometer to measure explosive vapors in order to understand the requirements for creating an operational explosive detection system. This system would then work in tandem with the canine fleet to improve current airport security systems.

The laboratory’s end goal is to build a non-contact explosives detection instrument through vapor detection. 

This technology will certainly be useful, especially when passengers check in baggage that contains explosives. 

Shoe scanner technology

Image credit: d13 / Shutterstock.com

While the technology is still in development, it is one that many will be relieved to see implemented in real life.

In 2010, a CNN survey showed passengers dreaded removing shoes at airport security the most. Although the survey is more than a decade old, passengers in 2022 still find pat-downs and shoe removal at airport security to be a humiliating experience.  

The US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has licensed technology for a shoe scanner developed in 2021 to Liberty Defense Holdings, a concealed weapons detection company based in Georgia.

According to the developers, the scanner allows shoes to be screened without the need for passengers to remove them. The millimeter-wave scanners use advanced imaging to detect concealed objects in footwear. Passengers will be asked to step on a low-profile imaging platform for two seconds while electromagnetic waves generate an image of their shoes.

The PNNL said that the shoe scanner could improve wait times at security kiosks by as much as 15% to 20% by eliminating the time it takes for travelers to remove their shoes.

Immersive retail experiences

Image credit: globalcosmeticsnews.com

Passengers can expect more immersive retail experiences at airports with the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality technology. 

A 2017 study carried out by the University of Southern Mississippi showed that emotions are involved when people shop at airports. Leisure travelers often feel happy and buy souvenirs to share with friends back home and also to give themselves a reminder of their holiday. Boredom at the airport can also bring passengers to shop in order to kill time.

So airport retailers are taking advantage of advanced technology to further improve conversion and sales. In November 2021, ahead of the holiday season, LHR airport partnered with Chanel, Dufry and JCDecaux to launch a No 5 Spaceship activation in the departure lounge at Terminal 5.

The immersive experience included a “Find No 5” game for customers, which sells the brand’s fragrance line as well as a curated offering of skincare and cosmetics. 

An augmented reality (AR) digital screen also allowed shoppers to virtually try on products.

According to Future Travel Experience, old-fashioned “bricks and mortar” shopping is in decline and such experiential retail tactics could be the answer to increasing conversion and yield at the airport. 

source : https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/five-airport-innovations-that-will-make-travel-easier-in-2023

• Katie Byrne for Fox News

• 4 Feb 2020, 12:43
• Updated: 4 Feb 2020, 14:22

FACIAL recognition technology is being used in an increasing number of airports around the world to speed up the time it takes for passengers to go through security.

But it comes with growing concern over privacy as it’s revealed photos of travellers could be stored for up to 75 years.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is the latest to roll out the technology in the US.

At PHL, the machines are set up at three international gates. Passengers will step up to the machines and have their faces scanned before boarding their flight. CBP officials say it takes less than two seconds and has a 99 percent matching rate.

Jeni Best, a branch manager with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), explained: “So, this is an electronic way, basically, to verify identity.”

“It reduces your impostor threat, and it provides a secure and efficient way to verify identity.”

According to Jeni, the ultimate goal is for the machines to eliminate the need to show passport – but some people fear the technology threatens their privacy.

Paul Hudson, president of the nonprofit Flyers Rights, has been working for the airline passenger advocacy group for more than 20 years and his concern is where the photos from the machines end up.

CBP officials say all photos of US citizens are deleted within 12 hours, but photos of non-US citizens can be stored on CBP systems for up to 75 years.

Paul said: “It’s really a very big deal. The databases are, first of all, are not immune to hacking.”

But CPB’s Jeni explained: “[IT] is a practice that CBP already has in place for all visitors.”

Paul thinks more research needs to be done.

He said: “Before you do something like this, there needs to be a buy-in by a large majority of the population.”

Passenger Ellyn Phair agrees.

She said: “I’d have to think about it for a little bit.

“There are so many things going on with hacks on the computer systems and that is increasing these days, so I feel like that could be a problem.”

At least 27 airports in 16 states and D.C. are using facial recognition technology. In Philadelphia, the machines are part of a pilot program, so passengers have the ability to opt out of using them.

Jeni said: “They just let either the gate agent know or the CBP officer.”

But opting out isn’t as easy as it seems.

Paul said: “Based on research I’ve seen, only two per cent actually opt out, so that would indicate that people either don’t understand it or […] it’s too bothersome to deal with.”

Angelo Reid, who has been working at PHL for more than 40 years, said: “Right now, it’s an experiment.”

He thinks face scanners are just another way to keep people safe.

Angelo added: “Just like anything else, people will grow into it. They’ll get used to it. And they’ll realise it’s for their own safety.”

At PHL, the face scanners are running as a pilot program for 45 days. Once the program ends in early March, the airport will likely decide whether to implement them long-term.

Watch video and full content here : https://www.thesun.ie/travel/5061520/airports-keep-our-photos-from-facial-recognition-scanners-for-75-years-sparking-privacy-fears/

Delta Air Lines hopes to have facial recognition technology available for its international passengers at Sea-Tac International Airport by the end of the year.

Two Delta Air Lines representatives told Port of Seattle commissioners in September that the company is already using the technology in Atlanta, where international travelers can use facial recognition instead of boarding documents and passports at kiosks, security checkpoints and at boarding.

Supporters of the technology say it’s a time saver and added layer of security.

Customers can opt out,” Delta Air Lines’ Jason Hausner told Port of Seattle commissioners. “There’s no requirement to participate.”

A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines on Sunday did not immediately provide a timeline for the implementation at Sea-Tac.

Privacy and the effectiveness of the facial recognition on women of color were among the concerns addressed at the September commission study session. An expert from Microsoft said there can be issues with using facial recognition on children.

“Facial recognition tends not to work well on very young children because babies in particular have less differentiation in their faces than you do after you become an older child or an adult,” Microsoft’s Jacquelyn Krones told commissioners.

Delta Air Lines said facial images, which are transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are not permanently stored and called the system secure.

“There’s no personal identifiable information that is sent with the digital image,” said Hausner.

CBP is working to make facial recognition technology the norm for international passengers arriving in the U.S. with an eye on domestic flights.

In an October study session with Port of Seattle commissioners, CBP stressed the use of the technology is not part of a surveillance program and said U.S. citizen images are deleted after 12 hours.

Port of Seattle commissioners said they will consider a motion ensuring safeguards at a December meeting.

source: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/delta-air-lines-working-to-bring-facial-recognition-to-sea-tac-airport/1012326917

Flying to the United States from the UAE could now be much faster, as Emirates has become the first non-US airline to receive approval for biometric boarding from US Customs Border Protection (CBP).

Passengers flying from Dubai to any of Emirates’ 12 US destinations will soon be able to select facial recognition in place of ID checks, reducing the identity verification time to as little as two seconds or less per person.

In a release, Emirates stated it is hoped the facial recognition system will be completely up-and-running by the end of the year. The airline also emphasised no pre-registration is required, and that the facial recognition checks are optional – passengers can still request manual identity verification. It also stated the airline does not store any facial recognition data – that is managed by CBP.

The facial recognition technology was first piloted at departure gates on Emirates flights from Dubai to New York and Los Angeles this past July and August. According to the airline, some flights had everyone choosing to go the facial recognition route instead of manual identity verification.

Emirates already offers facial recognition ID checks on flights from the US to Dubai.

READ: Emirates to introduce facial recognition technology at Dubai airport

Abdulla Al Hashimi, divisional senior vice president for Emirates Group Security said: “Our ultimate aim is to help our passengers travel paperless, without the need for passports and IDs. Biometric boarding is one more step in streamlining processes at our hub using digital technology, saving our customers time and giving them peace of mind. We are talking with authorities of several countries to make security using facial recognition technology more acceptable and accessible.”

READ: Emirates to launch trials of ‘world’s first biometric path’ at Dubai airport

Added John Wagner, deputy executive assistant commission at the Office of Field Operations for CBP: “By comparing a traveller’s face to their passport or visa photo that was previously provided for the purpose of travel, we have streamlined identity verification that further secures and enhances the customer experience.”

source : https://gulfbusiness.com/dubais-emirates-offers-facial-recognition-id-checks-us-bound-flights/

Gatwick has become the UK’s first airport to confirm it will use facial-recognition cameras on a permanent basis for ID checks before passengers board planes.

It follows a self-boarding trial carried out in partnership with EasyJet last year.

The London airport said the technology should reduce queuing times but travellers would still need to carry passports.

Privacy campaigners are concerned.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Gatwick told BBC News it had taken the decision, first reported by the Telegraph newspaper, after reviewing feedback from passengers in the earlier test.

“More than 90% of those interviewed said they found the technology extremely easy to use and the trial demonstrated faster boarding of the aircraft for the airline and a significant reduction in queue time for passengers,” she said.

“Gatwick [is now planning] a second trial in the next six months and then rolling out auto-boarding technology on eight departure gates in the North Terminal when it opens a new extension to its Pier 6 departure facility in 2022.”

She added passengers would still need to pass through the bag-check security zone, at which point they would need to present a boarding pass.

In addition, they would need to scan their passport at the departure gate for the system to be able to match the photo inside to their actual face.

The process is similar to that already used at the ePassport arrival gates at some UK airports. But it differs from Gatwick’s original test, where travellers scanned their faces at the luggage drop-off zone.

Consent concerns

That decision will limit Gatwick’s ability to use facial recognition for other services.

China’s Chengdu Shuangliu airport, for example, recently installed a system that automatically presents travellers with up-to-date information about their flights when they walk up to a screen. This is made possible because visitors have to present their passports at an earlier stage.

Even so, one civil liberties group is worried travellers might not realise they can opt out.

“Our main concern… would be the issue of proper consent,” said Ioannis Kouvakas, from Privacy International.

“Placing general or vague signs that merely let individuals know that this technology is being deployed, once individuals are already inside the check-in area, is inadequate, in our view, to satisfy the strict transparency and consent requirements imposed by data-protection laws.

“If this would apply to child travellers… it raises even more concerns, considering the special protection afforded to children’s privacy and the risks associated with having their biometrics taken by the airport private entities.”

A spokeswoman for Gatwick said it had designed its use of the technology to be “compliant with all data protection law” and passengers would be able to choose to have their passports checked by human staff.

“Our next passenger trial will take place in the next six months and no data will be stored – instead it will be held momentarily while the identity check takes place, only a matter of seconds,” she said.

Children under a certain age would need parental or guardian consent, she added, although Gatwick had still to determine what the cut-off point would be.

source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49728301

The next time you go to the airport you might notice something different as part of the security process: A machine scanning your face to verify your identity.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been working with airlines to implement biometric face scanners in domesticairports to better streamline security. In fact, they’re already in place in certain airports around the country. 

But how does the process work? Which airlines and airports are involved right now? And do travelers need to be concerned about privacy breaches?

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest technological advances in airport screenings, from the government’s work to privacy concerns and more.

What is biometric airport screening?

It’s a fancy way of saying that the government is using facial recognition technology at the airport. Government agencies (in conjunction with airlines) are aiming to improve efficiency when it comes the way travelers enter and exit the U.S.

This is separate from the eye and fingertip scanning done by CLEAR, a secure identity company available at more than 60 airports, stadiums and other venues around the country. (CLEAR is certified by the Department of Homeland Security). 

Here’s how the process of facial scanning at the airports works: Cameras take your photo, and then the CBP’s Traveler Verification Service matches it to a photo the Department of Homeland Security has of you already. These could be images from sources like your passport or other travel documents.

This process will ideally replace the manual checking of passports nationwide.

This photo provided by Delta Air Lines shows new biometric scanning technology at Terminal F in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.John Paul Van Wert via Delta Air Lines

Where did this idea come from?

“A form of biometric entry-exit was technically required for non-U.S. citizens by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which was signed into law in 1996,” says Jeramie Scott, senior counsel at the research firm Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and director of the EPIC Domestic Surveillance Project. Scott notes, however, the years-old requirement wasn’t fully implemented. 

After 9/11, a commission recommended a full implementation of the biometric entry-exit scanning, but it wasn’t until 2017 that President Donald Trump signed an executive order that expedited the full roll out.

The CBP explained in a statement to USA TODAY U.S. citizens have historically been processed at border check points in-person but the facial recognition technology is being used because it “can do so with greater consistency and accuracy.” 

“CBP is simply replacing the current manual travel document comparison with facial comparison technology,” the agency stated. 

Facial recognition became the government’s method of choice – as opposed to finger print or other scanning – because it already had people’s photos in most instances, Scott explained. 

In order to quickly verify travelers’ identities, photo galleries are pre-built from flight manifests so once a face is scanned it can be checked against the stored photo of a passenger.

CBP stores the photos of U.S. citizens scanned for no more than 12 hours post-verification, after which they are deleted. 

Interested in TSA PreCheck? It might soon be cheaper and easier to sign up

What are airlines doing? 

With the exception of Southwest, most major airlines in the U.S. are taking steps to include the CBP facial recognition technology as part of their security processes. 

Delta Air Lines

Toward the end of last year, Delta announced one of its terminals in Atlanta’s airport was the “first biometric terminal” in the country. As of Dec. 1, all Delta passengers traveling internationally are able to take advantage of the biometric options when departing from the airport’s Terminal F. Delta has since expanded its facial recognition boarding practices to another Atlanta terminal as well as at airports in Detroit, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. It also has a CLEAR partnership.

The face recognition technology replaces the traditional boarding method of showing your passport and ticket, according to Delta spokesperson Kathryn Steele. Passengers board after standing in front of a face scanner verifying their identities. A video of the system can be seen here. “This technology makes moving through the airport easier and is a part of our effort to create a seamless travel experience,” Steele told USA TODAY.

Customers still need their passports and should take it with them for use at other touch points internationally, per Steele.

United Airlines

United has been testing facial recognition tech during boarding at some gates for international travel in Houston, Washington Dulles and San Francisco, United spokesperson Maddie King told USA TODAY. “When we do offer these tests they are always optional, and customers are always able to use their boarding pass and passport instead if they choose.”

The airline is also working with CLEAR to further implement the biometric security option across its hub airports.

American Airlines

American has a pilot underway at Los Angeles’ LAX Terminal 4, where passengers’ faces will be scanned to verify identities in lieu of scanning boarding passes. The pilot has no end date, American spokesman Ross Feinstein confirmed to USA TODAY.

JetBlue Airways

Self-boarding is available on international flights leaving from New York-JFK, Boston and Fort Lauderdale, Julianna Bryan, spokesperson for JetBlue, told USA TODAY.

“Additionally, last fall, JetBlue became the first airline to partner with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to launch a one-step biometric boarding experience for customers flying to Nassau, Bahamas (NAS) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).”

The airline has fully implemented the tech on certain routes: “The flights from BOS-AUA and BOS-SDQ were considered ‘pilots.’ The trial ran from June 2017 to mid-2018. Since then, we have truly refined the technology, distancing the process from being a ‘pilot’ to having it become an essential part of our daily operations.”

Oooh: Airport security bins are gross; these antimicrobial replacements might help

Is the TSA involved too?

Yes. The agency is working with CBP as part of the security checkpoint pilot program in Atlanta’s Terminal F, and is also working with Delta Air Lines to use biometric identification at the airline’s bag drop. The TSA is evaluating the pilot’s applicability for use elsewhere.

Austin Gould, the assistant administrator for requirements and capability analysis at TSA, told USA TODAY that more than 90% of people at the are opting into the program though always have the option to opt out. 

“You need to knowingly step in front of the camera and agree to use your image as your identification in the pilot that we’re running,” he says.

In the future, the TSA hopes to expand the program, including for TSA PreCheck passengers as well as for use during domestic travel. You can look at TSA’s plans here.

Love TSA PreCheck and Global Entry? Check your expiration date

Can I opt out of the facial recognition program?

Yes. That said: “Even if you opt out of the facial recognition at the airport, your photo is still part of that gallery they created prior to the flight,” Scott says.

The CBP clarified in a statement: “The biometric entry/exit program is not a surveillance program, CBP does not biometrically track U.S. citizens. Facial biometric processing at ports of entry only replaces current manual comparison using the travel document.”  

In case you missed: Delta says USA’s ‘first biometric terminal’ is ready to go at Atlanta airport

Should I still be concerned about privacy?

It depends who you ask.

Both the CBP and TSA have conducted thorough privacy impact assessments related to facial recognition technology, though concerns loom among privacy advocates.

By consenting to the facial recognition, the government can create a digital identity for you and track you without your consent or knowledge, Scott adds. While they may not be using that power right now, there’s a lack of regulation preventing them from using it that way. A small way of pushing back is to emphasize your right to opt out.

The American Civil Liberties Union is against the CBP’s facial recognition program, according to Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the organization’s speech, privacy and technology project. 

“The concern is that your face will be used to track and monitor you everywhere you go,” he told USA TODAY. 

Is the facial recognition program working?

For the CBP’s part, facial recognition is already proving successful in terms of stopping people entering the U.S. illegally. “Since initiating this facial comparison technology in the air environment on a trial basis, CBP has already identified seven imposters, including two with genuine U.S. travel documents (passport or passport card), who were using another person’s valid travel documents as a basis for seeking entry to the United States,” according to the CBP.

source : https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2019/08/16/biometric-airport-screening-facial-recognition-everything-you-need-know/1998749001/

China’s traffic police are pushing ahead with a nationwide network of facial recognition surveillance cameras to deal with rule violations despite rising global anxiety over the new technology’s impact on privacy.

The central police authority announced on Wednesday that its platform successfully identified 126,000 suspect vehicles without a valid licence last year, for example. They now want to widen the network so that information on suspicious traffic activity can be shared with other cities and provinces.

The facial recognition technology checks the faces of drivers and vehicle details against a database, helping to verify the identity of wrongdoers much more quickly and improving the accuracy of traffic violation management, said Sun Zhengliang, Secretary of the Party Committee at the Ministry of Public Security Traffic Management Science Research Institute, in a traffic security forum on Wednesday in Hefei, Anhui province.

Shenzhen-based AI firm Intellifusion has been providing face-scanning technology to the city’s traffic police since 2018. In Handan in Hebei province, local police have teamed up with Guangzhou-based AI start-up Gosunyun Robot to introduce robots to help direct traffic and provide guidance to drivers.

The developments come amid rising resistance to the frictionless identification technology in many western countries, with Oakland recently joining San Francisco as US cities that have banned use of the technology by municipal authorities amid privacy concerns. A legal challenge has also been mounted in the UK against use of facial recognition tech by police, on the grounds that it constitutes an unlawful violation of privacy.

In the US, tech giant Amazon has also been criticised by its employees and shareholders for teaming up with the police to test the ability of facial recognition technology to track suspects in real time.

In China, it’s full steam ahead though and facial recognition is being applied to everything from airport security and crime prevention to garbage sorting. In the hi-tech city of Shenzhen, jaywalkers have already been named-and-shamed by pilot facial recognition schemes.

“For the US, they consider democracy first ahead of technology. In Shenzhen, it’s technology first,” said Wong Kam-Fai, a professor in engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and appointed as a national expert appointed by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence, in an interview during this month’s AI Summit in Hong Kong. “They are trying to push out the technology first and see if people can accept it.”

For those not yet on the road, facial recognition has also been deployed for learner drivers, allowing students to use their face to register and complete the required road theory study time before they sign up for a driving test.

Beijing has expressed enthusiasm about extending artificial intelligence technologies to many walks of life, from catching criminals, detecting cancers to developing self-driving cars. China is also home to the world’s largest surveillance camera makers amid state-directed efforts to build an “omniscient” surveillance network by 2020.

source : https://www.abacusnews.com/digital-life/facial-recognition-enforcing-traffic-laws-shenzhen/article/3023068

Thomson Reuters Foundation

BANGKOK – The launch of facial recognition technology at two Indian airports and plans to place it in police stations have stoked fears over privacy and increased surveillance among human rights groups in the country.

The “paperless biometric technology” launched in Bengaluru airport this week identifies passengers by their face, doing away with the need to present boarding passes, passports and other identity documents, according to a statement from the airport in India’s tech capital.

Another airport in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad is also testing facial recognition technology this month.

While airlines, airports and the companies developing the software promise greater security and increased efficiency, some technology analysts and privacy experts say the benefits are not clear, and come at the cost of privacy and greater surveillance.

This is particularly true of India, which does not have a data protection law or an electronic surveillance framework, said Vidushi Marda, a lawyer and advisor at human rights group Article 19.

“Entities that deploy facial recognition essentially have carte blanche to do whatever they want with your most intimate data,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Thursday.

“It is basically surveillance architecture. Facial recognition has no redeeming qualities from a privacy and autonomy lens- it is also famously inaccurate and completely unreliable.”

India’s Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling in 2017 on the national biometric identity card program, said that individual privacy is a fundamental right, amid concerns over data breaches and the card’s mandated use for services.

Yet the ruling has done little to check the adoption of technologies such as facial recognition, which are “fundamentally contrary to our constitutional rights and principles of criminal justice,” said Marda.

Worldwide, the rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies have popularized the use of facial recognition for a range of applications from tracking criminals to counting truant students.

Singapore’s Changi Airport is considering using facial recognition systems to find late passengers and the country also plans to use the capabilities in a project to fit cameras and sensors on over 100,000 lampposts.

But critics say the technology has accuracy problems, particularly in identifying darker-skinned women and those from ethnic minorities.

They also warn that users are not being told how the technology works, where their data goes, and whether they can opt out.

In May, San Francisco officials banned the use of facial recognition technology by city personnel in a sign of the growing backlash.

India’s home ministry recently called for a tender for facial recognition systems to modernize the police force and its information gathering and criminal identification processes.

The Bengaluru airport system, described as “your face is your boarding pass,” offers the “highest degree of safety and security while ensuring stringent standards of privacy,” a spokeswoman for the airport said.

The biometric data is used only for authentication and verification of passengers, and is deleted within a few hours of flight completion, she said.

The government’s digital travel policy states that passenger consent is needed for use of their biometric data for marketing purposes, and that users must have the option to opt out.

But passengers are likely to choose convenience if they see no tangible cost, said Marda.

“The problem is that there is a huge cost,” she said.

“By enrolling, you’re providing a private entity with a biometric map of your face in the absence of accountability and transparency mechanisms, and no data protection,” she said.

source : https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/29/world/facial-recognition-push-india-airports-raises-privacy-concerns/#.XT7hAHduI2w

By: Julie Salomone

Posted: Jul 14, 2019 02:36 AM CDT

Copyright 2019 CNN Test focused on passengers boarding outbound international flights.

TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa International Airport plans to spend $1 million on biometric face scanners by 2020.

The new technology will be used on passengers boarding outbound international flights.

“If it works, I’m for it. I have no problems with it. They can recognize my face all they want,” said passenger Jose Pagan.

ABC Action News got a look at the new technology as passengers boarded a flight to Panama City on Friday.

As a passenger walks towards the biometric scanner, the device will scan their face and compare it to a database. The new technology replaces the need for a passenger to show his or her passport at the gate.

If the face matches, the machine will clear the passenger.

“On the exit side, we are installing three different technologies on three different gates at our international airside, airside F,” said John Tiliacos, Executive Vice President for Airport Operations and Customer Service.

During this 30-day pilot program, the airport will test out three different vendors to see which technology is the best fit.

“At the conclusion of that pilot program, we will make a determination on which of the three service providers work best for us,” said Tiliacos.

By 2020, Tampa International Airport will have the face-scanning technology at all 10 gates where passengers are leaving the country on international flights.

“The camera takes a photo of the passenger and that photo is compared to a library of photos that exist within U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection traveler verification system,” said Tiliacos.

“This will make the boarding process faster, and eventually, could be used for inbound flights as well. We can’t wait to see the results,” said Danny Glennon, Guest Services Director.

To date, fewer than 10 U.S. airports have rolled out the screening.

“We’ve talked with Orlando. We’ve had the opportunity to observe the system there. Miami, the same thing there and seems to be working quite well,” said Tiliacos.

source : https://www.channel3000.com/lifestyle/tampa-international-airport-tests-biometric-face-scanners/1095174126

Exit les cartes d’embarquement, place à la reconnaissance faciale !

Il y a quelques mois, on apprenait que la chanteuse américaine Taylor Swift avait fait appel à la technologie de reconnaissance faciale pour débusquer d’éventuels stalkers parmi les spectateurs venus à l’un de ses concerts. Du côté de chez Air France, on va également faire appel à cette même technologie, du côté de l’aéroport JFK à New-York, et du George Bush International Airport à Houston.

La technologie de reconnaissance faciale sera utilisée ici pour remplacer la préhistorique carte d’embarquement, que certains utilisent via leur smartphone ou montre connectée, mais que d’autres continuent d’imprimer sur une bonne grosse feuille A4. Evidemment, certains voyageurs ne verront pas d’un très bon oeil ce fait de devoir passer devant un système de reconnaissance faciale pour confirmer leur identité, mais selon Air France, ce nouveau système « est un vrai pas en avant, une façon de rendre l’expérience de voyage moins stressante et plus sûre« .

© Unsplash / Avantgarde Concept

Evidemment, à l’heure actuelle, il s’agit encore d’une phase d’expérimentation pour Air France. Toutefois, si les tests s’avèrent concluants, le groupe n’exclut pas le fait de proposer ce système de reconnaissance faciale dans tous les aéroports américains d’ici la fin de l’année 2020. Dès la fin de l’année 2019, Air France espère pouvoir équiper un peu plus de 90% des aéroports de cette technologie.

Une reconnaissance faciale encore (très) loin de faire l’unanimité, cette dernière posant de sérieux soucis concernant le respect de la vie privée. Récemment, c’est Microsoft qui a effacé une base de données massive, contenant pas moins de 10 millions de visages. Dans un même ordre d’idée, une enquête du Financial Times et du Colorado Springs Independent a révélé que des chercheurs ont utilisé les photos de 1 700 étudiants, sans leur permission, pour entraîner un logiciel de reconnaissance faciale, dans une étude financée par l’armée américaine et des agences d’espionnage…