More British Airports to get Face Rec

In a proclaimed effort to “put British workers first,” ten more airports will be getting the same facial recognition system currently in use at Heathrow. The technology is aimed to crack down on individuals attempting to enter the country using fake passports. Though controlling the use of forged or false documents has obvious national security implications, it seems odd to me that the case for the systems would be made with such an immigration labor focus.

Said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith:

"Even in a downturn, we still need migrants - but we should be more selective about their skills levels, and we should do more to put British workers first."

Well, whatever the rationale, at least they will avoid Japan’s recent problems with their own airport passport checks.

Fool Me Once, Shame on You...

As reported last month, a South Korean woman fooled a fingerprint scanner at a Japanese airport to gain entry into the country. How did she do it? No need for an elaborate scheme -- instead, she used a special kind of tape purchased from a broker to easily bypass the state-of-the-art biometric system.

The 51-year-old woman used "special tape" to alter her fingerprints to trick the technology, which in November 2007 was installed at 30 airports around the country at a cost of around $45 million dollars. Designed to prevent entry by "international terrorists and other undesirables," reports say it is possible that a large number of South Koreans may have illegally entered the country using similar methods.

While the woman was eventually arrested in South Korea after attempting to purchase a fake passport, this incident raises a red flag about how effective border security really is and if expensive installments are worth the cost. In fact, last month, the DHS announced an update to its biometric technology in the US-VISIT program, which records biographic information to conduct security checks and verify the identities of international visitors to the United States.

However, why spend millions of tax dollars deploying systems that don't perform?

While biometric systems certainly complicate methods traditionally used by criminals to bypass the law, these tools will always exist -- ultimately, what customs and airport security checkpoints need is the deployment of an all-encompassing solution to stop those "special tape" users and repeat offenders in their tracks.

Integrating access control and facial recognition systems are two critical deployments needed to transform border security infrastructure and ensure a comprehensive solution to deter criminal acts. Designed to improve access control, passenger screening and liability protection, our deployments in airports (including Evansville Regional) monitor for criminal suspects and support both passenger and general airport visitor screening procedures with facial recognition technology, which stores profile pictures regardless of angle, shadow or lighting.

What does that mean in terms of catching criminals? We'll let's just say that no amount of "special tape" will get a person past an access control gate that requires an ID varified using facial recognition.

As the age-old proverb goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Multiple levels of security technology ensure the validity of this saying, and are ultimately crucial components of a successful surveillance program in the public places that need it most.

Biometrics Finding Its Way into Customs Checkpoints

It's already been an active new year for customs checkpoints.

Earlier this week, European Parliament approved the use of biometric data in EU passports, and yesterday the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that upgraded biometric technology has been installed at every major port of entry, and that most visitors should expect to use the new technology upon entering the country.

The European Parliament will amend a 2004 regulation to include fingerprints and facial patterns in passports issued in the EU, thus making it more difficult for criminals to forge identification documents and/or travel under stolen passports. Additionally, the new EU regulations will set the minimum age to take fingerprints at twelve, as fingerprints change as children grow. Instead of being included in their parent's passports, all children will be required to carry their own in an effort to make child trafficking more difficult.

Back in the U.S., the DHS announced that it has updated biometric technology in its US-VISIT program, which records biographic information to conduct security checks and verify identities of international visitors to the United States. The program is also expanding the categories of non-U.S. citizens required to provide digital fingerprints and a photograph upon entry to the U.S. in December, and requiring 10 fingerprint collections rather than two. Many experts agree that collecting a full set increases matching accuracy and also reduces the chance of misidentification.

With increased wait times expected and obstacles associated with integrating the various Extended Access Control (EAC) systems now in use across the globe, it will take years for travelers and customs officials to get acclimated to the new procedures and documents. In the meantime, bring a magazine for that next trip through customs.