Facial recognition firm Visionics has detailed how biometrics can play a part in improving airport security.
Facial recognition firm Visionics has detailed how biometrics can play a part in improving airport security. Dr Joseph J Atick, chairman of Visionics, says: ?Terror is not faceless. This means that we can act to restore public confidence and safety by creating intelligence-based identification systems, in essence, databases of terrorists? faces and identities, which are used to track the whereabouts of terrorists, through computerized facial recognition, as they travel from country to country. Paramount to building this protective shield, however, is delivering today a scalable platform which can tie into unlimited number of cameras and into a wide network of intelligence databases. Our Biometric Network Platform does exactly that. It incorporates our FaceIt technology, and, by adhering to industry standards for responsible use, can be deployed without posing a threat to our privacy.? The firm identifies five points on to the use of biometric technologies in airports:
Facial screening and surveillance: general surveillance of crowds at airports, preventing the issuance of travel documents to known terrorists and detecting tampered and fraudulent travel documents.
– Automated biometric-based boarding: Modify the boarding process to require an instantaneous terrorist background check on each passenger upon check-in and boarding by searching facial images against intelligence databases of terrorists and affiliates.
– Screening of employees: criminal background checks through fingerprint and facial recognition at all airports and for all airport staff.
– Physical security: improve access control systems for entry to tarmac, gates and other secure areas through biometrics.
– Intelligence gathering across international and agency jurisdictions.
