Border security turns focus to face-recognition technology

By PETER GRIFFIN

The use of face recognition scanners in border security may be closer than we think, say security experts. Existing passport photos could easily be digitised, allowing them to be accessed by biometrics technology.

Ed Schaffner, director of biometrics solutions at Unisys, said a range of biometric systems were being tested at airports and border crossings around the world.

Unisys will soon be vying for business in upcoming US-based biometric trials that will include up to 20 airports.

But Schaffner said that Governments, in the short term, were looking to adapt existing photo databases to get biometrics working for them quickly.

"Because there are millions of photographs in the Australian passport database, there's a desire to take those 2D photographs and be able to read them using face recognition software," he said.

As new passports were issued, biometrics could be introduced while the "paper passport" could disappear in place of a chip-based ID card.

"I doubt there will ever be a complete recall and regeneration of passports; that would be a nightmare. But as new passports are issued it would be easy enough to put a chip or biometric in them," said Schaffner.

Despite Internal Affairs in Wellington downplaying its interest in biometrics, the Government appears to be exploring the possibilities both here and abroad.

"Your Internal Affairs came out to visit me and my customer the [United States] Department of Defence the day before I left for Australia," said Schaffner.

"The concerns are common."

In the coming months names such as Advanced Biometrics, Iridian Technologies, Identix, Cyber-Sign and Veritel are likely to become more familiar as the fight for Government and private sector biometric security contracts heats up.

Schaffner believes weaknesses in each biometric will ensure the need for a combination of them to be used.

"Not everybody has fingerprints that are distinguishable, and face doesn't work on twins. If there is one biometric that stands above all in terms of accuracy, it's iris recognition, but the production of the camera equipment to support it lags behind other [biometrics] and costs significantly more."

The cost of introducing biometric readers and integrating databases and software to handle them would depend on the level of security sought.



Unisys is yet to pick up biometrics customers in New Zealand but interest is strong, said Schaffner, especially where the Government and private sector work together.