Air Canada (AC) is planning to use controversial facial recognition technology on its passengers to streamline the boarding process of its aircraft.
Beginning this December, people who board domestic Air Canada flights in Vancouver, British Columbia will be able to walk onto the plane without presenting any pieces of identification, such as a passport or driver’s licence.
Instead, passengers can upload a photograph of their face or a scan of their passport to the airline’s app and then pass by the airline’s new facial recognition scanner enroute to their plane.
Launched as a pilot project in February 2023, the face recognition technology is already available at Air Canada’s first-class lounges in Toronto, Calgary, and San Francisco.
Now, the airline plans to rollout the technology at other Canadian airports.
Facial recognition technology is already used by several U.S. airlines, overseas airports, and government security agencies.
However, the technology has proven controversial, with critics saying it violates people’s privacy and is an example of the growing incursion of surveillance in our lives.
For airlines, using facial recognition technology to board people on flights eliminates the need to place paid staff at the gate to check boarding passes and people’s identification.
Air Canada says that the personal information in people’s digital profiles is encrypted and used for digital identification purposes only.
The airline adds that the technology has no links to government programs or agencies.
The stock of Air Canada has gained 34% this year and currently trades at $24.82 per share.
