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Paper passports will soon be the next product to be usurped by its tech twin, Wired reports, with countries like Canada, the US, and India already piloting passport-free travel technology.
(Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to external sources.)
Replaced by what, we hear you ask: Airports will use the latest facial recognition technology, paired with data stored on smartphones, to verify the identity of passengers during travelling to reduce “friction” and move passengers through airports more quickly.
How it works: The tech takes the information stored on your passport’s NFC chip, which includes facial data, and stores it digitally. It links to your phone, which can then be shown at airports which use facial recognition software to match the data. The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) tested a similar approach that used cryptographic software to link the two and detect forgeries.
It’s looking lucrative: Multiple companies are working on verification systems they can link to government databases — no doubt trying to get a piece of the facial recognition pie, which, as a market, is set to be valued at USD 22.1 bn in 2032, according to Market Research Future.
Moral questions are already dogging the new tech, including concerns about data protection, normalizing problematic surveillance technology, where else it might be rolled out in the future, and who is behind the infrastructure — to say nothing of the current climate of distrust surrounding AI’s accountability and transparency. Recently, the Washington Post reported on the police’s complete trust in facial recognition technology, which can and has led to wrongful arrests in the US, with the UK police facing lawsuits for similar issues.
Is it foolproof? The new tech could lead to false negatives, enable bias and discrimination, and facilitate identity fraud or impersonation, the EU warned. The lack of a backup would also cause travel chaos in the event of a tech malfunction.
Right now, it’s still an opt-in situation in most cases, and passengers don’t have to be subject to facial recognition procedures. However, the US airport security service TSA warned of delays at security for passengers who opt out.
