Privacy is getting increasingly difficult to preserve nowadays, and not just due to the online data collection efforts that companies like Google and Facebook lead. Even in the real world, surveillance, biometric, and facial recognition tech is advancing quickly.
Amazon has caught quite a bit of flak for the way they've allowed police departments to use their "Rekognition" facial recognition services in the past, and entire countries (such as China) use similar tech regularly.
Now, this sort of technology is making its way further into the realm of US airports by way of Air France. According to an Engadget report, the flight company is planning to experiment with using facial recognition in place of traditional boarding passes at the JFK Airport in New York and the George Bush International Airport in Houston.
On the one hand, some travelers may have privacy concerns with being forced to submit to a facial scan, but on the other hand, Air France feels this is a step forward; a way to make the travel experience "less stressful and more secure" for their customers.
Regarding Air France's specific rollout plans, if their early test is successful, they hope to see 100 percent of all US airports adopt facial recognition tech (at their terminals) by the end of 2020. By the end of this year, they're aiming for 93 percent adoption.
We'll keep you updated on the situation and let you know how Air France's early test works out.