After a three-year interlude, four Indian airports – Varanasi, Pune, Kolkata and Vijayawada – have announced the implementation of face scan technology as an alternate boarding pass for passengers from 2022. This development heralds a significant shift in the use of biometric technology in India.
Exploring Facial Recognition
Facial recognition is a biometric approach that identifies individuals by analyzing distinctive facial features. Over nearly six decades, this technology has evolved in various ways, from examining 3D face contours to recognizing skin patterns. The Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) uses a large database of photos and videos of people’s faces. An image of an unidentified person, taken from CCTV footage, is compared with the existing database using Artificial Intelligence for pattern identification and matching.
The Working Mechanism of Facial Recognition
The facial recognition system operates primarily by capturing a face’s features through a camera and then employing various software to reconstruct those features. This captured face data is stored in a database and can be integrated with security-focused software, banking services, and more.
The Need for Facial Recognition
This technology serves two main purposes: identification and authentication, boasting a success rate of approximately 75%. In India, where there are only 144 constables per 100,000 citizens, this technology can function as a force multiplier, reducing the need for extensive manpower and regular upgrades.
Facing the Challenges
Implementing technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Big Data presents certain challenges, mainly financial. The storage of such vast quantities of information necessitates a large network and expansive data storage facilities, which are currently not accessible in India. Other concerns include potential privacy violations, and questions regarding the reliability and authenticity of the collected data. In the absence of stringent data protection laws, the collection and storage of user data become another significant issue.
The Way Forward
Given the digital age’s evolution, data has emerged as a valuable resource that requires appropriate regulation. The need of the hour for India is to establish a robust data protection regime. Consequently, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 needs to be restructured, emphasizing user rights and privacy. An independent privacy commission should ensure the enforcement of these rights. As technology continues to advance in leaps and bounds, the government should focus on respecting citizens’ privacy while fortifying the right to information.