Facial Recognition Technology Is Taking Off
On a recent morning in New York, travelers streamed into La Guardia Airport. Some were bleary-eyed as they checked bags and went to the security screening lines.
It was business as usual, until some approached a line that was almost empty. One by one, they walked to a kiosk with an iPad affixed to it and had their photos taken. Within seconds, each passenger’s image was matched to a photo from a government database, and the traveler was ushered past security. No physical ID or boarding pass required.
This screening using facial recognition software is just one example of how biometric technology, which uses individuals’ unique physical identifiers, like their face or their fingerprints, promises to transform flying.
This year could be the “tipping point” for widespread biometrics use in air travel, said Henry Harteveldt, an industry analyst for Atmosphere Research. Rituals like security screening, bag drop and boarding may soon require only your face, “helping to reduce waiting times and stress,” he said.
In the United States, major airlines have increasingly invested in facial recognition technology, as have government agencies in charge of aviation security. Elsewhere, a growing number of international airports are installing biometrics-enabled electronic gates and self-service kiosks at immigration and customs.
That could mean enhanced security and faster processing for passengers, experts say. But it also raises concerns over privacy and ethics.
Dr. Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, a researcher at the University of Colorado who studies the ethics of artificial intelligence and digital identity, said many questions have emerged about the use of biometrics at airports: How are the systems being trained and evaluated? Would opting out be considered a red flag? What if your documents do not match your current appearance?
Melissa Conley, an executive with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, said biometric technology is better than human agents at matching faces rapidly. She said, “Machines don’t get tired.”
Facial recognition shaves over a minute off bag drop and reduces the security interaction from 25 seconds to about 10 seconds, said Greg Forbes of Delta Air Lines, which is trying a biometrics program at La Guardia and four other U.S. airports. The time savings add up, making the line noticeably faster, he added.
Other airlines have begun similar experiments.
Experts believe the future is one where facial recognition will be used throughout the entire airport: dropping bags, boarding, entering lounges and purchasing items at stores. It may be so streamlined that security checkpoints could be replaced by security “tunnels” that passengers walk through and have their identity confirmed simultaneously.
According to a recent report by SITA, a global information technology provider, 70 percent of global airlines are expected to use some sort of biometric identification by 2026, and 90 percent of airports are investing in the technology.
More comprehensive experimentation has already landed at some airports outside the United States. This year, Singapore’s Changi Airport intends to go passport-free for departures; all passengers, regardless of nationality, will be able to use this system. At Frankfurt Airport in Germany, passengers can now use their faces from the time they check-in to boarding. The airport is installing biometric technology throughout its two terminals.
In China, 74 airports — 86 percent of the country’s international airports — have biometric technology in place, according to a report released in January by the global market research company Euromonitor and the U.S. Travel Association. At Beijing Capital International Airport, the country’s busiest airport, travelers can use facial recognition throughout their entire journey, even to pay for items at duty-free shops.
But critics believe that the technology’s convenience fails to outweigh a high potential for abuse — from unfettered surveillance to unintended effects like perpetuating racial and gender discrimination.
On a recent afternoon at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Brad Mossholder, 45, used Delta’s Digital ID line to breeze through the security screening and bypass a dozen travelers in an adjacent lane. He was flying to San Diego, California, and as a frequent business traveler, had used facial recognition before. The process is faster and easier, Mr. Mossholder said, and he was not worried about privacy.
“Honestly, my photo is on LinkedIn, it’s on a million social media sites,” he said. “If you really wanted to see a picture of me, you could.”
Boarding a plane without showing a ticket or a passport.