New York’s JFK airport recently announced they would be using facial recognition technology to screen returning citizens as well as those whose visas are waived. If it goes well and as more passengers are using global entry, it should speed up the process of entry. The plan is to roll the technology out for all international airports.
Stansted airport has the technology in place and as British citizens have noted, the process is definitely quick and seamless, making your return smooth and simple. For those that are not citizens, if you have global entry as part of your passport, you can go through these gates as well and it negates the necessity of going through customs the standard way. The technology has also seen success at Washington Dulles Airport in the United States.
Although there are some concerns about airports saving the images, the images are not saved unless there is cause for concern and there is a need for further investigation, but this can be something as simple as the person going through the scan has had some slight facial changes and the system may not recognize their facial contours. This can be caused by surgery or an injury.
On a more negative note, you can also be stopped if you are on a watch list, or your features are possibly similar to that of someone who is. The main premise behind using the technology is find false passports, it’s quite difficult to duplicate a passport if it’s linked to the computer system of said country.
Either way, it’s not a perfect science, but with technology an ever-increasing presence in every aspect of our lives, if this saves time and makes the job a bit easier for everyone around, then it is well worth it.