At Dubai Airport, Eyes Become Travelers' Passports
2021-03-15
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1In Dubai, airport passengers are now being offered the chance to use their eyes to confirm their identity without the need to show any documents.
2The system was launched as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
3The government has pointed to the program as a tool to help control the spread of the new coronavirus because it does not require airport passengers to have contact with other people.
4The system uses a biometric method.
5Biometric systems are designed to collect biological data that is unique to each person in order to identify individuals.
6Facial recognition is one kind of biometric method.
7Such systems use similar methods to those used in fingerprinting technology.
8The system in Dubai uses equipment to scan a person's iris, the colored part of the eye.
9This requires passengers taking part in the program to look directly into a camera so biological data can be collected.
10The use of eye scan systems has become more widespread across the world in recent years because of concerns about the accuracy of facial recognition technology.
11Iris biometrics are considered more dependable than systems that scan people's faces from a distance.
12At Dubai's airport, the world's busiest for international travel, people could be seen stepping up to an eye scanner after checking in for their flights.
13After looking into the camera, they were approved to pass through passport control within seconds.
14The passengers did not need to carry paper tickets or use electronic documents to complete the process.
15Officials in Dubai say the document-free passage is possible because the scan connects a person's iris data to the state's facial recognition database.
16The system is a partnership between airline company Emirates and Dubai's immigration office.
17Officials say the system quickly moves travelers through an automated process from check-in to boarding the plane.
18Major General Obaid Mehayer Bin Suroor is deputy director of Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs.
19He told The Associated Press, "the future is coming."
20He said the system had become very "smart," taking only five to six seconds to complete the scanning process.
21But just as with facial recognition technology, the program has added to fears of disappearing privacy for individuals.
22The UAE has already faced international criticism for targeting journalists and human rights activists.
23In a privacy statement relating to its biometric system, Emirates says the airline links passengers' faces with other personally identifying data, including passport and flight information.
24It adds that the information can be kept for "as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected."
25All collected biometric data is stored within the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs," Emirates says on its website.
26The airline adds that its methods are in line with the European Union's law on data protection and privacy.
27The data can, however, be used "across the airport for identification purposes," Emirates said.
28Bin Suroor said all personal passenger data kept by Dubai immigration officials is completely protected so that "no third party can see it."
29Jonathan Frankle is a doctoral student in artificial intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
30He told the AP that "any kind of surveillance technology raises red flags, regardless of what kind of country it's in."
31But, he added, "in a democratic country, if the surveillance technology is used transparently, at least there's an opportunity to have a public (debate) about it."
32Even with concerns about overreaching surveillance in the UAE, the country's massive facial recognition network only shows signs of expanding.
33Last month, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced new testing for facial recognition systems.
34He said the technology is meant to reduce the amount of paperwork needed for "some private sector services."
35I'm Bryan Lynn.
1In Dubai, airport passengers are now being offered the chance to use their eyes to confirm their identity without the need to show any documents. 2The system was launched as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has pointed to the program as a tool to help control the spread of the new coronavirus because it does not require airport passengers to have contact with other people. 3The system uses a biometric method. Biometric systems are designed to collect biological data that is unique to each person in order to identify individuals. Facial recognition is one kind of biometric method. Such systems use similar methods to those used in fingerprinting technology. 4The system in Dubai uses equipment to scan a person's iris, the colored part of the eye. This requires passengers taking part in the program to look directly into a camera so biological data can be collected. 5The use of eye scan systems has become more widespread across the world in recent years because of concerns about the accuracy of facial recognition technology. Iris biometrics are considered more dependable than systems that scan people's faces from a distance. 6At Dubai's airport, the world's busiest for international travel, people could be seen stepping up to an eye scanner after checking in for their flights. After looking into the camera, they were approved to pass through passport control within seconds. The passengers did not need to carry paper tickets or use electronic documents to complete the process. 7Officials in Dubai say the document-free passage is possible because the scan connects a person's iris data to the state's facial recognition database. The system is a partnership between airline company Emirates and Dubai's immigration office. Officials say the system quickly moves travelers through an automated process from check-in to boarding the plane. 8Major General Obaid Mehayer Bin Suroor is deputy director of Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs. He told The Associated Press, "the future is coming." He said the system had become very "smart," taking only five to six seconds to complete the scanning process. 9But just as with facial recognition technology, the program has added to fears of disappearing privacy for individuals. The UAE has already faced international criticism for targeting journalists and human rights activists. 10In a privacy statement relating to its biometric system, Emirates says the airline links passengers' faces with other personally identifying data, including passport and flight information. It adds that the information can be kept for "as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected." 11All collected biometric data is stored within the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs," Emirates says on its website. The airline adds that its methods are in line with the European Union's law on data protection and privacy. The data can, however, be used "across the airport for identification purposes," Emirates said. 12Bin Suroor said all personal passenger data kept by Dubai immigration officials is completely protected so that "no third party can see it." 13Jonathan Frankle is a doctoral student in artificial intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He told the AP that "any kind of surveillance technology raises red flags, regardless of what kind of country it's in." But, he added, "in a democratic country, if the surveillance technology is used transparently, at least there's an opportunity to have a public (debate) about it." 14Even with concerns about overreaching surveillance in the UAE, the country's massive facial recognition network only shows signs of expanding. Last month, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced new testing for facial recognition systems. He said the technology is meant to reduce the amount of paperwork needed for "some private sector services." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English, with additional information from Emirates airline. Hai Do was the editor. 17________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19unique - adj. very special or unusual 20scan - v. to look at the inside of something by using a special machine 21accuracy - n. how correct or exact something is 22automate - v. to use machines and computers instead of people to do work 23artificial intelligence - n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior 24surveillance - n. the act of carefully watching activities of people especially in order to control crime or the spread of disease 25transparent - adj. being open and honest about something 26private sector - n. businesses and industries that are not owned or controlled by the government