The Weekly Cypher is specially curated to keep you up-to-date on the latest in cybersecurity, biometrics, and related news and innovations. Here are a few of the headlines you might have missed this week.
Gatwick Airport Launches Biometric Passenger Screening | Airport Technology
Gatwick Airport outside London, UK, is launching a biometric passenger screening trial to expedite boarding and security procedures. The solution is expected to reduce human error from these processes while speeding up boarding. Biometric data will be gathered and matched to passwords at baggage drop off for easyJet airline, and extended throughout the rest of the airport if successful. [Read More]
Australia Praises Diversity for Facial Recognition Testing | ZDNet
The Australian Department of Home Affairs is working on a new facial recognition system, trained on the nation’s vastly multicultural society. The broad variety of test subjects, the department boasts, makes its solution one of the most accurate in the world. The system is currently being trailed in the Canberra airport and utilizes several algorithms to avoid racial bias and other potential problems. [Read More]
Amazon Under Fire for Selling Facial Recognition to US Law Enforcement | Various
An Amazon-developed facial recognition system is being sold to police departments across the United States, to the dismay of civil liberties groups like the ACLU. The system has already been deployed by several departments across the country, and existing surveillance laws have no clear rules preventing its misuse or abuse, the ACLU reports. Amazon has, however, defended its position, stating that there are more benefits from law enforcement agencies using the technology than there are risks. [Read More 1, 2]
India to Launch Biometric Flight Boarding Without Aadhaar | BiometricUpdate
India plans to implement paperless boarding on domestic flights using biometrics, but without linking the new system to the Aadhaar initiative. The system is an evolution of the AirSewa portal, which previously was used for handling flyer grievances, but soon passengers will be able to enroll themselves to use the portal for boarding processes as well. Aadhaar will not be used with the new system, with the exception of the enrollment process where flyers will need to present their national ID. [Read More]
Even Facial Recognition Companies Are Cautious About Privacy | TheNextWeb
While concerns over privacy and the abuse of facial recognition for surveillance rise, some biometrics companies are standing up for consumers. Brian Brackeen, CEO of Kairos, an AI startup specializing in facial recognition, recently told TheNextWeb that his company feels the industry should be doing its utmost to minimize potential abuse of biometric technologies. Efforts, such as implementing secure storage methods that optimize privacy, are essential for the future of the biometrics industry as a whole. [Read More]
