Australia will drop the passport, switch to face recognition at the airport

Australia is planning to replace passports with facial recognition technology at its airports in the next 2-3 years.

This transition is part of a tourism initiative launched by the Australian Department of Immigration in 2015 to simplify the travel process. By using fingerprints, eyeglasses or facial expressions, the identification system will allow people on entry or exit to Australia to avoid complicated immigration procedures and paperwork.

Biometric devices are more reliable than passport scanners.

According to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, the goal of this transition is to automate 90 percent of the process at its international airports by 2020. Under this new "no contact" system, Immigrants will be removed and information desks with staff will be replaced by automated electronic chambers.

Prior to launching this program at the main airport in November, the Department of Immigration will first check the system at Canberra Airport in July, handling some flights to New Zealand and Singapore.

Mr. Dutton also emphasized that the $ 70 million system is expected to both help tourism growth and enhance aviation security and seaports, as biometric devices are more reliable than passport scanners. to detect threats.

Australia is not the only country implementing facial recognition technology .

US Customs and Border Protection used the system at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport to help verify the identity of US immigrants.