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Qantas’ new plan will revolutionise check-in

Qantas is trialling new cameras at check-in which replaces your passport with your face.

Facial recognition bag drop kiosks are being tested at Sydney Airport, with hopes to roll the new technology out across the country in the near future.

Facial recognition bag drop kiosks are being trialled at Sydney Airport. Source: 7 News
Facial recognition bag drop kiosks are being trialled at Sydney Airport. Source: 7 News

While the new plan raises some concerns about privacy, it promises to do away with lengthy queues.

“It’ll be easier for you to get through and also from the security point of view because they know exactly who you are,” aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas said.

“We’re already using it with Smartgate to have our passports read and to move through the customs experience.”

Qantas is trialling new cameras at check in which replace your passport with your face. Source: 7 News
Qantas is trialling new cameras at check in which replace your passport with your face. Source: 7 News

Qantas says this is about more effectively and quickly handling the 43 million passengers who move through Sydney Airport every year.

But it does have some privacy implications, cybersecurity experts say.

In a world where people are increasingly being filmed everywhere they go, technology like this means they can also be tracked.

As with social media, it opens the door to people’s “digital attributes” or information being sold to third parties.

A man uses facial recognition technology at bag drop. Source: 7 News
A man uses facial recognition technology at bag drop. Source: 7 News

“What’s quite sinister about this is, for the first time, we’re going to be gathering information linked to an individual identity,” Fergus Hanson, from the International Cyber Policy Centre, said.

But Mr Thomas said: “The reality is we want security, we want a smooth experience through the airport and this delivers both.

“So it’s a very small compromise if that’s an issue for you.”

Experts say people can eventually expect to see similar technology in everything from Ubers to banks. Source: 7 News
Experts say people can eventually expect to see similar technology in everything from Ubers to banks. Source: 7 News

Experts say people can eventually expect to see similar technology in everything from Ubers to banks.

Federal laws covering the use of this technology are due to be debated later in the year.