Eurostar is testing a new biometric facial recognition technology on passengers travelling from London's St Pancras International Station to mainland Europe.
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Passengers will be able to complete ticket and passport checks before departure through the new biometric system, called the “SmartCheck” lane.
Those who make this choice will be allowed to board the train without going through the typical tedious identity verification procedures.
The system will include two facial scans, one at the ticket gate to verify ticket control and one at the UK exit checkpoint to confirm that passport details are valid.
The aim, according to Eurostar, is to eliminate queues and speed up the boarding process, not only improving customer satisfaction but also minimizing the chances of COVID-19.
The system will be tested with a limited number of passengers and will not include UK or Schengen entry checks.
Eurostar announced its intention to introduce a facial recognition system to replace physical ticketing and passport checks last year, and facial recognition company iProov helped them build it.
iProov is a proponent of what they call “passive authentication,” which is facial recognition without the user having to do anything.
The user consents to the platform by visiting a web portal to register with their details and taking an image of their face with their smartphone or webcam.
When they arrive at a physical checkpoint, they simply look at the camera and the system effortlessly verifies them.
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Inevitably, whenever biometric surveillance systems are installed in busy public spaces, such as train stations, privacy advocates express their concerns.
These technologies can have a significant impact on people's privacy through the potential for facial scans to be leaked, potential misuse by governments to monitor citizens or agencies, and even private entities receiving some of this information through shady data exchange channels.
Moscow was the first city to roll out facial recognition to its train station networks, launching the so-called “Face Pay” service at all 240 of its metro stations in October 2021.
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At the European level, Frontex, the continent's border and coast guard agency, has completed testing of its biometric scanning system for cross-border travelers, called EES (Entry-Exit System).
The situation is the same in the US, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) extensively using facial recognition systems at all points of entry and the federal government planning to expand the deployment of the technology where appropriate.
The only way to rein in the all-powerful technology is to impose strict regulations, but for now, lawmakers are significantly lagging behind developments.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
