Isle of Man govt plans public consultation on introduction of FRT at ports

The Isle of Man continues to debate the introduction of facial recognition and identity documents to boost security at its air and sea ports.

The Isle of Man government is working on developing legislation around facial recognition which is expected to be a part of the Regulation Of Surveillance (Amendment) Bill. The bill will be brought to the parliament following public consultation which will be launched within the next year, according to Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson.

“This strategy sets out an action to provide a policy and legislative basis for the use of technology to help identify terrorists, criminals and vehicles used for criminal purposes,” the Minister said this week.

According to previous announcements, facial recognition will be used to identify people against a known watchlist of criminals and will not capture and hold people’s data. 

The government is currently considering how to efficiently employ facial recognition for identity verification for passengers leaving the island. For seaports, the plan is to work with the passenger shipping firm The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. When it comes to air travel, authorities are still considering approaches as many passengers are already required to provide ID.

Introducing identity verification, however, also brings up questions about mandatory photographic IDs for all residents. Neither the UK nor its crown dependency The Isle of Man have national ID cards. 

The government’s aim is to allow people to move freely while having a proportionate and risk-based approach to identify potential criminals, the minister says.

“I think this is why this area is so important to have proper consultation around, and why we will work with the Steam Packet company,” says Poole-Wilson. “Obviously, the department is mindful that the island is part of the Common Travel Area, and there are a number of obligations, if you like, around our ability to move individuals and goods.”

The government still has no timescale for the legislative changes and the introduction of the technology but security will be a priority for the Isle of Man this year, she added.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  Isle of Man  |  port security