New terminal may go biometric
The construction of Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2 could see biometric equipment being considered as a security tool in an Irish airport for the first time.
A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority told Computers In Business that it was examining some of the biometrics systems used at other airports with a view to deploying such a system here. The new terminal is due to open next year.
The spokesman said that the system’s purpose would be to speed up the outbound security-screening process. It will not monitor inbound passport or visa-processing systems, as these duties reside with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. The adoption of biometrics in everyday life is being cautiously welcomed by business and industrial leaders.
“I think when there is a security agenda, people are very comfortable with it but quickly after that you get into the question of proportionality,” said Ger Daly of Accenture.” Is it okay to pay for your groceries by fingerprint? If you know what’s involved and it’s voluntary, that’s probably fine but what if it’s the only way to pay for your groceries? Is that okay? My sense is that we’re on a journey here.”
In the US and Britain, biometrics are commonly part of airport security. The US biometrics database is the largest in the world, with the details of 100 million travellers, A similar system, E-borders, is currently being rol led out in Britain. Hightech biometric matching systems are being installed in British airports and ports to check that those arriving are who their passport says they are.
Biometrics is on the EU agenda. Under the Schengen Agreement of 1985, a non-national equipped with a Schengen visa can travel freely from one country to another within the Schengen area, which consists of the EU 27 countries, minus Ireland and Britain.
Under a new initiative, a visa applicant’s biometrics will be collected at consular outposts. They will then be uploading to the central EU database. Then, when the visa holder arrives in a Schengen country, the visa will be matched against the record held on the database as a means of authenticating his or her identity.
