Accenture confirms Canada–Netherlands biometric Known Traveler program about to launch

Multinational accounting firm Accenture will soon launch the biometrics and blockchain-based “Known Traveler Digital Identity” service, after signing a formal agreement with Canada and the Netherlands, company Managing Director of Capital Markets David Treat confirmed at the recent Synchronize Europe meeting in London, CryptoNewsZ reports. The service allows travelers to provide their biometric data with authorities at various points in the passenger journey.

The agreements also include airlines Air Canada and Air France-KLM, as well as multiple airports, and the program is expected to be launched at or near the beginning of July. The Canadian government has already begun testing frameworks for digitizing and sharing biometric and travel records for air terminal security and screening in advance.

The project has its genesis at the 2018 World Economic Forum.

“At that time, with travelers providing access to verified personal biometric, biographic and historical travel data at their discretion, they can assist authorities to undertake risk assessments and pre-screening in advance: essentially verifying their identities and providing secure and seamless movement throughout their journey using biometric recognition technology,” says John Moavenzadeh, head of the World Economic Forum’s Mobility System Initiative.

The goal is for travelers to eventually use an application to collect and share data for pre-screening, with transactions protected by encryption and decentralization.

Huge expected increases in air traffic are motivating stakeholders to consider implementing new technologies to improve airport experiences and efficiency, as several experts recently told Biometric Update.

This story has been updated at 1:06 ET on June 25, 2019 to clarify the control service users have over data sharing.

Article Topics

Accenture  |  airports  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  data sharing  |  identity verification  |  travel and tourism  |  trusted traveller