The quiet rise of facial recognition around the world

"Between the moment you arrive at the airport and the moment you enter the departure lounge, barely ten minutes pass." Vincent Bouatou details how quickly it is possible to board a plane in Singapore, without showing a passport or boarding pass. This ease is made possible, according to the technology director of the French group Idemia Public Security, by iris biometrics and facial recognition.

"What they've done in Changi is unparalleled in the world," he says, proud of his group's role as an expert in the field. Especially since the city-state could offer him other opportunities. "Every day, many cross-border commuters travel back and forth on two wheels between Singapore and Malaysia ," he continues. "For motorcyclists, taking off their gloves is a bit of a hassle."

This is happening in Singapore, but also in China, the Gulf States, the United States... Whether it's airports, transportation, border control, solving criminal cases, and much more, over the years, facial recognition has continued to become commonplace around the world. This is evidenced by the prospects for this market, where large groups like Panasonic, NEC, Thales, and Microsoft often compete discreetly, and which could be worth $18 billion (€15.4 billion) in 2030, compared to $8 billion today, according to several consulting firms.

On the flip side, scanning a face can be done on the fly, more smoothly and conveniently than collecting fingerprints or encoding an iris. But on the flip side, it's also the "most highly sensitive" biometric, as the French data protection authority (CNIL) points out. "If your credit card is stolen, the bank can give you another code. If your biometric identity is hacked, however, you won't be able to change your face," insists Thomas Dautieu, its director of legal support.

You have 83.88% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.