About Face

Has anyone ever dreamed of a world where one could navigate through the airport by just showing face?  If you aren’t Steven Spielberg, you might say impossible, right?  Well, the possibility might not be too far off.  Facial recognition may be getting better, and in some cases, more accurate than humans. 

            This is the brainchild of US Customs and Border Protection (CPB), who have developed a cloud-based technology called facial biometric matching service.  The company says this has the potential to revolutionize travel, making it significantly more comfortable and safe, for the general population.  With no need to show a passport and ID, there will be decreased wait times and smoother travel.  The technology is already in 17 airports around the US, but it plans to expand to 97 by 2021.  This seems like a great idea; a more efficient way to travel, but critics of the tech disagree.

            Despite the convenience of a smooth travel, there is the issue of privacy, which critics of CPB, say they have already broken.  There are laws on collecting this type of facial data, but this was only approved for foreign nationals.  This is just one side of the intrusion coin.  The software that has been used has also been known to be highly inaccurate to people with darker skin tones and complexions, even gender in some cases.  So, tackling privacy and discrimination will be a big step for the company, but without completely solving these two major issues, the company might not have a leg to stand on.