(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)
A biometric scanning system called miSense started to be used as a trial on December 2006 at Heathrow Airport, as part of the International Air Transport Association's Simplifying Passenger Travel Programme.
The system allows passengers to scan their passport and right index finger, creating an electronic key that permits them to skip boarding queues, thus aiming to simplify their journey through the airport. The UK Government decided to use it to control immigration and check the identity of people coming to Great Britain.
The UK immigration minister Liam Byrne, said the scanning system would improve security but also allow the passengers to go through the check-in more easily and rapidly: "I think it's going to be popular. People want secure borders. If we can find a way of strengthening security and making it easier for legitimate travellers to move around then I think the public are going to want that."
Initially, the miSense system will be used for Heathrow's Terminal 3 flights to Hong Kong and Dubai. A second stage of the trial will allow all passengers flying from Terminal 3 to use the system by registering their 10 fingerprints, a scan of each eye and a scan of their face that will be linked to their passport information. Then, the passengers will be provided with a membership card that they can use to go through the system by using only their fingerprints for identification.
Simon Davies from Privacy International considered that the biometric scanning technology is still unstable and unreliable and pointed out: "At this early stage of biometric understanding this programme can have only extremely limited value."
The purpose of the trial is to check the technical performance of the system and to see how it will be accepted by the passengers.
If successful, the system could adopted in airports all over the world.
miSense system
http://www.misense.org/home.html
Face scans for air passengers a step nearer (8.12.2006)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/07/nscan0...
Biometric science arrives at Heathrow (6.12.2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6214592.stm