Customs goes high-tech to check eyes and faces

By SCOTT MacLEOD

A high-tech camera that can spot faces in a crowd is being used by Customs staff at Wellington Airport as part of a trial to increase security.

The camera is linked to a computer which recognises people from facial characteristics, and is part of a system becoming widely used to secretly screen for terrorists.

Customs is also testing a machine that scans the irises in a passenger's eyes to produce a type of human barcode.

And it is looking at a system under which its own staff would have their fingerprints screened to access computers or sensitive areas.

The James Bond-type "biometric" systems have been introduced to many airports overseas, mostly during the past year, as a response to terrorist fears.

Biometrics are a big help to officials trying to confirm identities and snare criminals at border crossings, but have sparked claims of "Big Brother" privacy intrusions.

Customs air and marine national manager John Secker said staff had tested the camera system by mingling with passengers to see whether the computer could pick them out.

It had spotted "a very high percentage" of the staff but had "not been used in anger", and the privacy issues would have to be addressed before it could be used to search for high-risk passengers.

Mr Secker said the system was an extension of the present method, under which Customs staff looked for high-risk passengers.

Customs is also testing an iris-recognition system used at airports and ATM machines in the United States, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands.

In Canada, passengers' eyes are photographed and 266 details of the iris pattern stored electronically to be matched with scans taken at airports.

NZ Customs papers say the possible benefits of biometrics are better risk-profiling and anti-terrorism measures, protection of information and speeding the processing of passengers.

But Mr Secker said it could be a year before such technology was used at New Zealand airports because it was unclear yet whether the benefits outweighed the costs.

"I don't want to oversell it, although it does look very sexy."

He said the most likely use of biometrics would be similar to the Canadian system, in which people volunteered to use the iris-recognition method to speed their way through Customs.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Privacy Information Centre warn that officials could use biometric data to track people too closely.

Other critics warn of discrimination against the 5 to 10 per cent of people - such as amputees - for whom biometrics work poorly.

Internal Affairs spokesman Tony Wallace said New Zealand passports issued from October 26 next year would be able to hold biometric data to meet US standards.

The Aviation Security Service is also evaluating biometrics.

But general manager Mark Everitt said the service, which is responsible for security at New Zealand's seven international airports, has a bigger priority - new systems for screening all luggage placed in the holds of aircraft.

Iris recognition

* In Canada it is called Canpass-Air.

* It is for low-risk air travellers who have been vetted.

* Their eyes are photographed.

* They are given identity cards holding their iris details.

* At airport kiosks, their irises are scanned by machine and compared with the card details.

* If the details match, the travellers are whisked through customs.

* Customs staff have more time to search for criminals.