LONDON, England (PNN) - July 22, 2011 - Millions of Heathrow passengers will have their faces scanned starting in September to cut lines and identify potential terrorists.
Every traveler from terminals one and five will undergo the infrared "facial recognition" checks before they board their planes. The data - taken when passengers first hand over their boarding cards - will be stored for up to 24 hours before being destroyed.
The aim is to prevent a situation where an international passenger could swap tickets with a domestic passenger in a departure lounge, as domestic passengers do not go through immigration
checks.
The Aurora Imaging Recognition system is the most advanced to be used in a UK airport. It has been approved for use at Heathrow following an 18-month trial by BAA and the UK Border Agency.
These found that it took only five seconds to confirm the identity of the average passenger.
Facial recognition software works by scanning the dimensions of the subject's face and comparing these to a pre-recorded database. When a match is registered the subject's identity is
confirmed.
The system can identify people from a distance of 40cm to a meter and can be adjusted to cope with different heights, including wheelchair users and children.
It is understood that 82 units will be installed in September after the busy summer period along with new software and cameras.
A British Aviation Administration spokesman said, "We are introducing technology that will enable us to more accurately reconcile images of passengers flying domestically. For passengers
this means a faster journey through ticket presentation."
The measures have sparked controversy, due to the invasion of privacy represented by digitally storing data on innocent people.
Daniel Hamilton, director of Big Brother Watch, said, "The compilation of a digital database of images of all travelers is an invasion of privacy."
Ed. Note: As is normal in these cases, the British government has ignored popular cries against invasion of privacy. This is how most governments promoting intrusive technology act; they care nothing about individual rights or citizen privacy.
