Singapore trials iris recognition at border checkpoints

Aug 8, 2018 | Chris Burt

Singapore is trialing iris recognition technology to confirm the identity of travelers at some border crossings to improve public safety, Reuters reports.

Iris verification will be implemented at two checkpoints on Singapore’s northern border with Malaysia, and at a ferry terminal serving the nearby islands of Indonesia. The technology can cost five times more than fingerprinting, Reuters reports. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in an emailed statement that the trials would help it determine whether to deploy the technology at other checkpoints, and how to best do so.

The ICA has also been collecting iris images from citizens and permanent residents of Singapore applying for an identity card or passport since January 2017.

IDEMIA deployed a biometric passenger processing system at Singapore’s Changi Airport’s Terminal 4 last year, and a Singapore government agency announced earlier this year it is carrying out a pilot of a “Lampost-as-a-Platform” surveillance project using facial recognition.