Narita airport starts facial recognition trial for faster travel

Passenger data, including facial images, will be deleted within 24 hours after registration to protect privacy.

How passenger can really sure about this? Just trust their words?

well if they have facial recognition, I would think they don't need to fingerprint foreigners anymore

Nothing to do with entering the country Aly - Just to expedite the departure process.

Same in in the new Changi Terminal for example.

Everyone will have to arrive 15 minutes earlier to check in so they can save 10 minutes at later.

sakurasukiToday  06:59 am JST

Passenger data, including facial images, will be deleted within 24 hours after registration to protect privacy.

How passenger can really sure about this? Just trust their words?

Given that you have constantly been photographed/videoed whilst in the country, on transportation to the airport and during your passage through the airport it doesn't really make much difference.

Nothing new as many countries have been using this type of automated tech at airports. Japan is super late to the party. Similar tech was implemented in some Australian airports 5 years ago. Makes the movement / flow faster and smoother!

People talking about privacy regarding this yet these same people have no issues posting their photos all over social media sites willingly! What a crazy world we live in!

Nothing to do with entering the country Aly - Just to expedite the departure process.

Oh I know that. It was explained in the article. My point being is that now with that technology being rolled out in the airport, it is completely unnecessary to fingerprint the foreigners.

Japanese tourists can just come and go how they please at Heathrow, UK, going through the same lines as locals, without the need to see officers or give their fingerprints. On the other, PRs from the UK have to go through a lot of checks and see an officer - during the pandemic, immigration checks have been ridiculously long. Am I the only one seeing double standards here? Even after registering for the automatic gate, you still have to give your fingerprints - what is the point? Was this another bright idea forced upon by their US masters?

Whatever Aly - I'm missing your point tbh.

Above - I meant PRs from UK arriving at Japanese airports.

Whatever Aly - I'm missing your point tbh.

My point is its unnecessary to fingerprint people if you have facial tech. that's all. You don't need to do it

Japanese tourists can just come and go how they please at Heathrow, UK, going through the same lines as locals, without the need to see officers or give their fingerprints. On the other, PRs from the UK have to go through a lot of checks and see an officer - during the pandemic, immigration checks have been ridiculously long. Am I the only one seeing double standards here?

No. You're not. I agree wholeheartedly.

Even after registering for the automatic gate, you still have to give your fingerprints - what is the point?

Exactly.

Above - I meant PRs from UK arriving at Japanese airports.

And YET, Special permanent residents from N. Korea and China DONT.

Go figure

Passenger data, including facial images, will be deleted within 24 hours after registration to protect privacy.

Yeah, sure it will buddy, sure, whatever you say...

I'll pass.

Scary tech.

That won’t work, because facial recognition as part of AI is continuously training and learning itself and then in this case develops some kind of bias, to say it in diplomatic words. lol In other words, it doesn’t work well when still almost untrained and without bias, but it also doesn’t work well when almost fully trained and then having the biases developed.

@Pukey2 - Nothing to do with PR's nothing to do with COVID. Not relevant to the original topic. My mention was purely as an example where I have seen stored photos of previous trips.

@Ego Sum Lux Mundi

If you were THAT concerned about privacy, you certainly wouldn't be posting on this particular website.

They're going to need some faces to scan first. There is almost no passenger traffic going in and out of Narita.

But since everyone is actually wearing masks there will be no recognition.

I read that newer facial recognition works regardless.

Exactly @zichi. They've had various photos of me, and back in those days my fingerprints too, really not bothered. If you've got nothing to hide, I don't get why people would be against something like this. Unless you throw away EVERYTHING away and live on money stuffed in your mattress you are not off the grid at all.

This is very welcome. Anything that speeds up my movement through hated airports is a winner. They already have the system in the UK. Last time I simply allowed my passport to be scanned by the automated gate and showed my face to a camera and I was in. No queuing whatsoever. Beats the old system of waiting in line for an hour then being verbally quizzed by some chimp like jobs worth natzi type border force officer.

@Paul14. Unfortunately, due to Covid, you now have to queue up to see a Border Agency official to check you have the correct paperwork (PCR test, Passenger Locator Form, two quarantine PCR tests booked. They check everything very carefully) before going through to the passport automatic gates. I only waited about half an hour, but there there been stories of people queueing for seven hours at busier times.

I do believe facial recognition technology is widely used by the Chinese Government to monitor closely their citizens. Believe what you want, but the benefits are heavily weighted towards government snooping. Gone are the days of CEO’s such as the like of Ghosen escaping trial and sneakily fleeing Japan. Gotcha!!

Finally!