Biometric airports: Is facial recognition the new contactless screening agent?

IMAGE CREDIT:
Image credit
iStock

Biometric airports: Is facial recognition the new contactless screening agent?

Biometric airports: Is facial recognition the new contactless screening agent?

Subheading text
Facial recognition is being rolled out in major airports to streamline the screening and onboarding process.
    • Author:
    • Author name
      Quantumrun Foresight
    • March 10, 2023

    The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has made it imperative for organizations to adopt contactless services to limit physical interactions and reduce the risk of transmission. Major airports are rapidly installing facial recognition technology (FRT) to streamline the process of passenger management. This technology helps to accurately identify travelers, reduce waiting times, and improve the overall airport experience while ensuring the safety of passengers and staff.

    Biometric airports context

    In 2018, Delta Air Lines made history by launching the first biometric terminal in the US at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This state-of-the-art technology supports passengers on direct flights to any international destination serviced by the airline to experience a seamless and contactless journey from the moment they arrive at the airport. FRT was used for various steps in the process, including self-check-ins, baggage drop-off, and identification at TSA (Transportation Security Administration) security checkpoints.

    The implementation of FRT was voluntary and was estimated to have saved two seconds per customer during boarding, which is significant considering the large number of passengers that airports handle daily. Since then, biometric airport technology has been available in a few other US airports. The TSA plans to conduct nationwide pilot tests in the near future to gather more data on the effectiveness and benefits of the technology. Passengers who opt-in for facial recognition processing are required to have their faces scanned on dedicated kiosks, which then compare the images with their valid government IDs. 

    If the photos match, the passenger can proceed to the next step without having to show their passport or interact with a TSA agent. This method enhances security, as it reduces the risk of identity fraud. However, the widespread deployment of FRT is set to raise many ethical questions, particularly in data privacy.

    Disruptive impact

    In March 2022, the TSA introduced its latest innovation in biometric technology, the Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), at the Los Angeles International Airport. The equipment can capture photos and match them with IDs more efficiently and accurately than previous systems. As part of its nationwide pilot program, the TSA is testing the technology at 12 major airports across the country.

    While the process of using FRT remains voluntary for now, some rights groups and data privacy experts are concerned about the possibility of it becoming mandatory in the future. Some passengers have reported that they have not been given the option to go through the traditional, slower verification process with a TSA agent. These reports have sparked debate among privacy advocates and security experts, with some questioning the effectiveness of FRT, given that the main objective of airport security is to ensure that no one brings harmful materials on board.

    Despite concerns, the agency believes that CAT will significantly enhance the process. With the ability to identify travelers in a matter of seconds, the TSA will be able to manage foot traffic better. Moreover, the automation of the identification process will drastically reduce labor costs, eliminating the need to manually verify each passenger's identity.

    Implications of biometric airports

    Wider implications of biometric airports may include:

    • International airports being able to exchange passenger information in real time for tracking movements across terminals and planes.
    • Civil rights groups pressuring their respective governments to ensure that photos are not being stored illegally and used for unrelated surveillance purposes.
    • The technology evolving so that passengers can simply walk through a full-body scanner without needing to show their IDs and other documents, as long as their records are still active.
    • Implementing and maintaining biometric systems becoming expensive, which can result in increased ticket prices or reduced funding for other airport initiatives. 
    • Unequal impacts on different populations, such as those who are elderly, disabled, or from certain cultural or ethnic groups, particularly since AI systems can have biased training data.
    • Further innovation in contactless and automated systems.
    • Workers being retrained to monitor newer technologies, which could result in added costs for airports.
    • The production, deployment, and maintenance of biometric systems having environmental impacts, such as increased energy consumption, waste, and emissions. 
    • Biometric technology creating new vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit.
    • Increased standardization of biometric data across countries, which could streamline border crossings but also raise questions about data sharing and privacy.

    Questions to consider

    • Would you be willing to undergo biometric onboarding and screening in airports?
    • What are the other possible benefits of contactless travel processing?

    Insight references

    The following popular and institutional links were referenced for this insight: