South China Airlines swaps boarding cards for facial recognition

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By Matthew Griffin Security and Privacy 18th September 2017

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Biometrics is quickly becoming the security tool of choice for a vast number of governments and organisations, and increasingly I’m seeing them being used to create new “contactless” borders and “frictionless” customer experiences

Earlier this year I reported that Australia had decided to do away with the humble passport and roll out their “Seamless Traveller Initiative” that would allow 90% of everyone travelling into the country to experience a “contactless” border. In other words, your face was your passport – literally. Now, just seven months later and South China Airlines, one of China’s “big three” airlines, have announced that they’re getting rid of the humble boarding card and replacing it instead with new facial recognition technology, and they’ve started rolling it out at Jiangying Airport in Nanyang city, Henan province.

The airline developed the system with Baidu and GRG Banking.

Huang Wenqiang, general manager of the airline’s e-commerce division, said the smart-boarding system involved multiple encryption measures, which would prevent personal information theft.

The airline will apply the system later at Beijing’s new airport and other airports, said Han Wensheng, deputy general manager of China Southern Airlines.

With a fleet of over 700 aircraft, China Southern operates more than 2,000 flights linking 224 destinations in over 40 countries and regions. Its passenger throughput reached 150 million in 2016.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Matthew Griffin, described as a "Walking encyclopaedia of the future" by NASA and a futurist polymath, is one of the world's most renowned futurists and strategic foresight experts. A serial entrepreneur Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working across the next 50 years, XPotential University, the world's first free futures and foresight university, and the World Futures Forum which works with the United Nations to solve the worlds greatest challenges. 13 times author of the Codex of the Future series, Matthew is an in demand international keynote, acclaimed university lecturer, and host of the hit Fanatical Futurist podcast.

A rare talent in his past Matthew helped build and run several multi-billion dollar business units for Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77+ governments, and many of the world's most respected brands including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Disney, EY, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pepsi Co, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, and many others. He was also the only futurist invited to talk at the UN COP28 held in Dubai alongside world leaders.

Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.