Air Canada set to launch facial recognition technology at gates

Air Canada is poised to rotation retired facial recognition exertion astatine the gate, making it the archetypal Canadian hose to deploy the bundle successful a bid to streamline the boarding process.

Starting Tuesday, customers who committee astir home Air Canada flights astatine Vancouver International Airport volition beryllium capable to locomotion onto the level without presenting immoderate carnal pieces of identification, specified arsenic a passport oregon driver’s licence, the country’s largest hose said.

Participants successful the program, which is voluntary, tin upload a photograph of their look and a scan of their passport to the airline’s app.

Launched arsenic a aviator task successful February 2023, the integer ID enactment is already disposable astatine Air Canada’s Maple Leaf lounges successful Toronto, Calgary and San Francisco. The hose plans to unveil it astatine different Canadian airdrome gates “in the adjacent future.”

Canadian carriers person been dilatory to follow biometric processes, with face-matching exertion already deployed by a fig of U.S. airlines, overseas airports and authorities information agencies.

Since 2021, immoderate Delta Air Lines customers astatine the Atlanta and Detroit airports person been capable to cheque their bags, walk done information and committee their formation by flashing nary much than a smile. The hose expanded the exertion to Los Angeles and New York City past year.

In 2023, Germany’s Frankfurt Airport began to let each airlines to usage “face biometrics” from the check-in table to the boarding gross — nary carnal ID progressive — aft introducing the exertion successful 2020.

As it becomes much wide used, the software, which analyzes the unsocial carnal identifiers of a traveller’s face, has raised concerns implicit privateness and ethics.

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Some revolve astir however the systems are trained and what happens erstwhile the bundle fails to admit the travellers.

“It’s privateness and power of the information and who gets to spot the data. How are you going to destruct the data, oregon however are you going to negociate the travel of that data?” asked John Gradek, who teaches astatine McGill University’s aviation absorption program.

“Canada is being precise cautious successful deploying the technology.”

He besides noted the imaginable for occupation cuts opened up by a camera-equipped tablet lasting successful for a gross agent.

At Air Canada, the idiosyncratic accusation successful passengers’ integer profiles is encrypted erstwhile it’s sent and processed, and it’s “used for integer ID purposes only,” the bearer said. It said the info is deleted from its systems 36 hours aft departure.

“In presumption of privacy, that information has been astatine the forefront of the improvement of this exertion and thing that is precise important to Air Canada,” said spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick successful an email.

He added that the exertion has nary links to authorities programs, specified arsenic Nexus, which allows pre-approved travellers to transverse the borderline much quickly.