Mandatory Face Scan Before Boarding at Madeira Airport
ANA | VINCI Airports introduces a biometric technology at Madeira airport. The project, initially implemented at Lisbon and Porto airports, is set to expand to Faro, Madeira, and Ponta Delgada in the second half of the year. The primary objective is to streamline the passenger experience by introducing a paperless and contactless journey through facial recognition technology.
Biometric Experience App - How it Works
Passengers, initially limited to those aged 18 and above are asked to use an application or use cameras at the airport to make a ‘selfie‘. This ‘selfie‘ then acts as the boarding pass. Passengers of TAP Air Portugal flights from Lisbon and Porto airports are the first to participate in this biometric endeavor on the at best cheerfully named ‘Biometric Experience App‘, offered by ANA on the Google App Store and iOS. The App states it does not collect any data and does not share any user data with third parties. According to RTP Madeira, pictures taken are being deleted subsequently, after flight departure.
(The App) Further speeds up the subsequent security control access and boarding process only with biometric recognition, without the use of identification documents.
Enjoy a new technological experience and speed up your trip. Reduce document presentation time using only biometric recognition.Biometric Experience App on Play Store
Data Collection: The 21st Century is Outpacing Us
Concerns regarding the impact on privacy remain. Will the widespread adoption of facial recognition technology really make travel faster, simpler, and more comfortable, or does it come at the expense of compromising personal data without having any real benefit for the passenger? Boarding Passes can easily be scanned from a tablet, phone or even a watch, so what exactly makes scanning boarding passes a more time-intensive process than having an additional picture taken?
Also, could they have come up with a less controversial name for the app? Just because people nowadays enjoy posting their pictures online doesn't transform face recognition technology at airports into a genuinely enhanced passenger experience.
In the end, this is what the 21st century is fundamentally lacking of: In a time of upheaval and changes that happen at a drastic pace, officials are implementing controversial methods by sugarcoating them instead of providing meaningful insights into what they are offering and why this is supposed to be an advantage. In the big picture, these measures are a loss, not only for data protection, but for the social integrity and in the end, for democracy.
Sources: Diario de Noticias Madeira, RTP Madeira
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