In today's unstable world, security is more important than ever. According to BBC News, five months ago (June 2016), a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport killed 41 people and injured more than 230 people. Due to the growth of terrorist attacks, governments all around the world are looking for ways to tighten the security of their borders.
Consequently, this leads to the implementation of biometric identification management technology for more effective and secure border control – Smart Gates, a new security at airports. In details, this technology allows travelers to process their passport passage in a freedom way. Moreover, it also helps to match passengers passport details to the data stored in its database, therefore allowing only legit travelers past the gate into the airport.
According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, who want to use the smart gate in Australia must be at least sixteen years old, travel on a valid passport and have been already registered as a member in the Global Entry program. In details, such self-service airport customs includes a two-step system. The first step of the process determines whether passengers are eligible to match to the next stop. Here, they are required to pass their passport through a scanner that detects a microchip implanted on their passport. As a result, it helps to ensure the data is legit and they are free to match on. The second one requires that travelers insert their ticket into a slip, and then look up at a camera to be checked. After go successfully through Smart Gates, they are allowed to proceed to the baggage hall and ready to catch their flight.
Many benefits have been seen from using the biometric Smart Gate systems that are already installed at some airports. Firstly, Smart Gates provides a more convenient, faster way for travelers to get through customs at the airport. In details, it allows passengers to process their passport identification faster instead of waiting for officers to process it for them. Therefore, during the travelling seasons, congestion in airports has been drastically reduced.
Moreover, thanks to the combination of biometrics and smart gates, security has been tightened over the years in airports. In details, biometric Smart Gates including iris, face, and fingerprint provides high levels of human identification accuracy which helps to reduce the use of stolen passports as a means of identity theft. Therefore, border security at the airport has been improved. In addition, facial and iris recognition devices for Smart Gates only capture traveler images while fingerprint requires physical contact, therefore iris and face recognition is more preferable than fingerprint due to its passive nature.
With huge benefits of biometric Smart Gate, more and more airports in the world have been implemented these security systems to endure the safety of the country's borders. For example, Dubai International Airport has deployed the smart gates equipped with iris recognition camera to capture both facial and eye biometrics of register users (Biometric Update). Or New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) has just deployed the next-generation biometric-based customs e-gate – Smart Gate Plus at Auckland International Airport.