Face recognition system - Boon or Bane??

There are different biometric technologies— fingerprints, iris and facial scans. Travellers present themselves and their documentation and pose for a quick photo in seconds and the officer has the data they need based on a discussion with the traveller about the purpose of the trip and ultimately can make a decision about whether further examination is needed. But then how safe is this process???

Experts say that facial recognition technology is a highly sophisticated application due to its complex nature and it may cause risky business practices. Artificial intelligence is paired with the technology to create a smart facial recognition system for analysis.

This technology has already caused disruption in industries such as law enforcement, healthcare, electronics, banking, retail, and airline/travel. Facial recognition technology has enhanced our way of life and comes with biases in accuracy. Several studies show that facial recognition is less accurate in identifying people of color and women.

Envisioned as DigiYatra in 2018, the system involves the installation of biometric face recognition systems at various airports across India. These systems would scan the face of passengers eliminating the need for a printed boarding pass and furnishing of identity documents to security personnel.

Anyone using this for the first time will have to register themselves at the airport, following which their profile and biometric details will be added to the airport's database. For every journey thereafter, the passenger will have to scan their boarding pass for verifying their DigiYatra identity.

From here, all entry points, except manual frisking at security checks before boarding, will be through face recognition that would scan a face and open the gate automatically without manual checking of either the boarding pass or an identity card.

Organisations such as the Internet Freedom Foundation and many other activists have slammed the project stating that the system could be misused in a country where there is no data protection or privacy laws.

The DYF, which consists of various private operators, can collect vast amounts of personal and business data from passengers using its platform. This data can be shared with "entities within DYF and agents in relation to their programs including marketing and sales."

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA