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Singapore Airport May Use Facial Recognition Systems To Find Late Passengers (fastcompany.com)
Singapore's Changi airport, which is widely touted as one of the best airports in the world, is testing use of facial recognition systems to find late or lost passengers in the airport so they don't delay their flight for everyone else onboard. From a report: Changi Airport is looking at how it can use the latest technologies to solve many problems - from cutting taxiing times on the runway to quicker predictions of flight arrivals. It comes as the island state embarks on a 'smart nation' initiative to utilize technology to improve lives, create economic opportunity and build community ties. However the proposed use of cameras mounted on lampposts that are linked to facial recognition software has raised privacy concerns. Steve Lee, Changi Airport Group's chief information officer, told Reuters that the airport's experiments are not from a "big brother" perspective but solve real problems. "We have lots of reports of lost passengers...so one possible use case we can think of is, we need to detect and find people who are on the flight. Of course, with permission from the airlines," said Lee.
Yes, there's no way a boss/politician could ever look at that and think, "I bet we could use that for finding terrorists..."
No sig today...
If commercial companies can adopt this level of frightening technology, I dread to think what is already in use around the world by governments who have access to it all. Especially in developing countries like the United States.
When you enter an airport you have zero expectation of privacy anyway as you already had to pass multiple checks (including photo id) to get in, so why would it matter if there is constant monitoring inside the airport as well?
I can see a ton of real value especially in recognizing someone who is supposed to be on a plane in fifteen minutes is not near the gate and not headed that way. They could even have staff drive a cart over and help especially slow or confused people, it could actually end up being really friendly and helpful unlike the dystopian scenario that always comes to mind when we imagine complete monitoring.
Facial recognition is just a tool, while we should be mindful of uses that are creepy or dangerous, we should also not categorically dismiss truly useful real world uses just because there are also mis-uses possible.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
And leave them behind.
How about something for the rest of us. If they already know who we are, why do we still need to carry ID.
"Of course, with permission from the airlines."
Why should airlines be asked for permission? Why not the people actually being scanned?!
lmao get a load of this basket case
eliminates much of the violence prone 'punishment' stage.... thanks again
I am all for it. The natives working/staffing the airport won't have to figure out how to pronounce a person's name, just to locate him. Missed a connection, but they did hold for me. Oh, wait -- that was Beijing, and their staff or announcer had trouble with R's and L's
It's nice that they still wait for late passengers. In my experience, in US domestic flights, you're on your own if you're late to the gate.
On the privacy angle of this, when you're in an airport, you are in an area under heavy surveillance; you really don't have a lot of privacy. They can easy deploy face recognition quietly without telling anyone. At least now they are trying to use the technology to improve service to travelers.
The late passengers should miss their plane. To go rummaging them up, trying to find them before the plane leaves, will only encourage the bad behavior of not getting to the gate area on time. Also, I have the distinct opinion that this "feature" is really a cover for having active facial recognition in the airport.
Is facial recognition easier than checking for a pulse? or just less invasive?
--XYZZY--
"you'll be late, as in the Late Arthur Dent"
Antifa shows up at events with cameras to, "dox" people while they wear face masks.
First I'll start out by saying: If you're argument is people weren't at the gate 15 minutes prior to boarding, then don't fly and be more responsible next time.
You've obviously forgotten what it's like to be at an airport for the first time. Or maybe, you came in on a late flight to an airport you've never been in and have fifteen minutes to make your next plane. Or maybe, you are eighteen and flying for the first time and just really confused by the whole absurd process.
There are many ways, that people can be late or confused that they can't simply "be more responsible" to solve - and by the way I seriously hope that Travel Karma comes to bite you in the ass for your statement someday.
Fuck, I can't tell you how many times I've had my plane held up because someone was late eating at the Chili's Bar and Grill down 100'.
So you are ALREADY a fan of this system, which would have an attendant remind someone who has forgotten or is confused, that they need to get to their flight - so you would no longer be delayed. But no, you'd rather be self-righteous and suffer rather than actually solve that collective problem that probably happens multiple times a day.
Now if you're legitimately late because you're running from one plane to the next, absolutely.
JFC so NOW you are OK with it, what is the functional difference between someone who is "not responsible" vs someone who ran into bad luck? There is ABSOLUTELY NONE, again you are willing to make everyone suffer to punish the non-repsonisble person even though there is a solution to both.
But guess what? I and everyone else figures it the fuck out.
Yes so do I, but why should anyone else suffer? When there is a better way that would have helped our past selves figure it out sooner without trials that didn't have to be undergone? Yet again you would rather everyone suffer because YOU have figured it out, rather than making life easier for those who are slow, new, or simply having a bad travel day.
True but how can you not?
Because in an airport you are already in a zone where EVERY single person present has been identified and tracked entering (and on top of that your entering is already tracked by the government), so why not continue tracking inside? There is zero loss of anything and a lot of potential gain for everyone - again because the rest of us who have travelled a lot would no longer be held up by people that are having problems. I mean, what the hell is your deal you are so adamant they not be helped, just because your own absurdly luddite irrational fear of facial monitoring in a situation with zero downside? It makes no sense, finally there is a real case where it could help people and as us seasoned travelers know, could help a LOT of people because every visit to the airport is to see a LOT of confused people who could just use a little help.
Lay out for me please not just an abstract fear, but ANY real downside to facial recognition tracking of passengers within an airport specifically.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Late passengers should really be fined, but not until they arrive at their destination.
Summation 2
Exactly. No airport is going to invest in a multi-million dollar system to help find "confused" people.
You, sir, have obviously never been to Singapore.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
mmmmmm I want to have the sex with you, you are real man
Require a cell number for the ticket and send automated updates and instructions to it.
"This is Alaska Air. Your flight will be boarding at gate 47 in 15 minutes."
Easy and uses 1980s level technology.
It's about control. Think about it, how many flights have you been late as in it's just departed? It happens but that's what trip insurance is for.
True they'd have to remove any checked bags for missing/late passengers but they'd have already flagged it and have those bags identified especially for
international flights.
The downside is that this is a big land grab in terms of privacy. Now, for one or two potential "late/missing" passengers all passengers have to submit their photos or it happens at check-in. What happens to that information after the flight? Does it get deleted?
No, much like the dumb security bin systems you see at Heathrow, this is a bad airport idea.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
We survived for a long time without invasive technology that WILL be abused. Learn some basic life skills and use them. Simple things such as learning to navigate, asking someone for directions and OMG planning your travels. The dumbing down of america in the late 90s/early 2000s has already produced people who are currently in the workforce making stupid decisions, creating products with new common sense and evil products with out a thought.
If we don't all buck up like we have been for years, we're all going to end up like the fat floating humans in the movie Wally-e
I assume all the scary Orwellian stuff is already in use at airports everywhere. The novel part is that they thought of a way to use the terrorist/criminal/scary person facial recognition tracker infrastructure to possibly help people.
... then we don't have anything to worry about!
The late passengers should miss their plane. To go rummaging them up, trying to find them before the plane leaves, will only encourage the bad behavior of not getting to the gate area on time. Also, I have the distinct opinion that this "feature" is really a cover for having active facial recognition in the airport.
This is a fucking revenue opportunity, idiot. They can charge people money for the privilege of escorting them to their plane. Having to pay for it will discourage people.
And gosh, every person in the airport has already shown photo ID and passed through security clearance, so what is the problem exactly?
"We found 38 late passengers who are at risk of delaying their flight!"
"Where are they?"
"In the Northwest counter line."
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Perfectly innocent. What a practical tool! Glad it won't be abused!
> Steve Lee, Changi Airport Group's chief information officer, told Reuters that the airport's experiments are not from a "big brother" perspective but solve real problems.
This is so fucking arrogant that one would like to smack this guy in the face. Who is he to decide that this is not a "big brother" perspective? Whose "real problems" are being solved?
This is a revival of the "technocrats of the 1950s", with enhanced arsenal.
Are they so boneheaded -- or are they downright evil?
It's because of checked luggage.
No plane is allowed to take off with luggage that belongs to a passenger who is not on the plane.
In most cases, waiting for the passenger takes less time that searching for and unloading the bags of the missing passenger.