The world is becoming more connected, diverse and globalized place. Every single day more than eight million people travel by air worldwide. Specifically, one million of these people travel in and out of the United States. Verifying the identities of these individuals is crucial for maintaining global airport security. This keeps populations safe from dangerous threats that could cause them harm.
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), it takes about 20 seconds to identify and validate a person using government databases and current identity verification technology.
This is too slow.
Airports all over the world have the challenge of tackling security while meeting passenger demands. A dynamic border security environment exists which requires a standardized border control process. Moreover, eight million customers, traveling for either business or pleasure, expect an enhanced experience when they travel, which includes speed and accuracy when traveling through airport security checkpoints.
One way to enhance airport security is to introduce new, advanced technologies into current security initiatives. For example, the ACI (Airports Council International) recognizes the benefits of using biometrics to confirm personal identity for border control, airport passenger processing, and airport access control, to improve security, efficiency and facilitation. Nearly two-thirds of all consumers support biometric technologies as well, making it a good option to add to airport security processes.
With the technology available today, a TSA agent could use a mobile phone to select a passenger’s country of origin and scan their official government identification cards or passports during US travel. The identification card or passport will then be verified as legitimate or fraudulent in seconds and the information from the ID will be pulled and matched against official data from the country of origin at the same time. A live photo of the passenger can then be taken and compared biometrically with the photo on their identification card or passport. These results will then be analyzed in real time and a confidence score will be given back to the TSA agent. This technology can help agents determine in real time with minimal effort if a passenger is a security threat or not, helping ensure safe travel for all legitimate passengers.
