Facial recognition, fingerprints to replace passports at Australian airports

Australia has announced a radical overhaul of security at its international airports, with new technology set to replace passports as the means of identifying passengers by 2020. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is seeking tenders for a self-processing system that would abolish incoming passenger cards, remove the need for most passengers to show their passports and replace manned desks with electronic stations and automatic triage. Instead, passengers will be processed by biometric recognition of their face, iris and/or fingerprints, which will be matched to existing data. Immigration minister Peter Dutton said the aim was for over 90% of passengers to avoid paperwork or manual processing by staff by 2020. <br/>