Unisys Corp. announced Thursday it had completed the initial round of testing of a facial recognition system at Washington Dulles International (IAD). The hope is that the system will aid Customs and Border Protection in identifying people trying to get into the United States with fake or stolen passports.
Developed by Unisys and its partners, the system takes facial images of travelers coming into the country and compares the images to those stored electronically in travelers’ passports. Passengers whose images don’t match may be required to go through extra inspection.
“As cybersecurity and physical technologies continue to converge, technologies such as biometrics are playing an increasingly essential role in keeping us safe online and in the real world,” says Amy Rall, group vice president for the Department of Homeland at Unisys Federal. “CBP’s new facial recognition solution can make us safer while allowing officers to efficiently move travelers through airports with minimal disruptions while protecting their privacy.”
The system was developed under Unisys’ Land Border Integration contract with CBP, which the company was awarded in 2010. The results of this first phase of testing have CBP considering implementing the program in other airports.
