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from the 1984-is-a-warning-not-a-guideline dept.
A conversation between a passenger and an airline has gone viral, largely because people find it intensely creepy.
MacKenzie Fegan went to the airport last week. As with normal flights, she was expecting at some point to present her boarding card in order to get on her plane. However, she found all she had to do was look at a camera, and at no point was asked for her pass.
As convenient as that sounds, she had questions, which she put to the airline, JetBlue, in a now-viral thread.
I just boarded an international @JetBlue flight. Instead of scanning my boarding pass or handing over my passport, I looked into a camera before being allowed down the jet bridge. Did facial recognition replace boarding passes, unbeknownst to me? Did I consent to this?
— MacKenzie Fegan (@mackenzief) April 17, 2019Fegan had several pressing follow-up questions, such as "how" and "who exactly has my face on record?".
"Presumably these facial recognition scanners are matching my image to something in order to verify my identity," she wrote. "How does JetBlue know what I look like?"
So how concerned should we be that companies like JetBlue have access to this data?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday April 23 2019, @05:14PM (10 children)
The gate people are probably delighted that the tech that will replace them is progressing so fast. Having to check you against your passport is one of those things they kept arguing they had to be there for (whether they actually pay attention to bad pictures when they have to process 150 people each is a different question).
Soon you will walk by the camera with the RFID passport in your pocket and there will only be one fat guy/lady sitting in the corner to keep a disinterested eye while processing baby strollers. Companies will save lots of cash, which will totally not get used to reduce prices, and blame the TSA if anything ever happens.
Expect some script kiddie to take down the whole unsecure system (while downloading all the passport data) and cause havoc.
But when the system works, you will gain a whole 5 seconds in line in the terminal, which will be as usual negated in the jetway or plane by the asshole who stands in the aisle for five minutes trying to remove his/her coat to put it with his/her third luggage in the bin (or the near-future version: to find his/her credit card to swipe to open the bin).
/grumpy, maybe
(Score: 2) by Snow on Tuesday April 23 2019, @05:18PM (1 child)
I'm surprised they don't already charge for overhead access. It's an untapped revenue stream... Either give up your very, very limited foot room -- or, for an extra $9.95 -- You can have access to the overhead bin.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 23 2019, @05:55PM
You are behind the times. RyanAir does this already. Well, strictly they charge for any non-tiny cabin baggage, but essentially it's the same thing, just easier to enforce.
(Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:50PM (7 children)
No, this is not what will happen. The result of any automation is that now free resources can and will be used to do additional tasks; checks in this case.
Since both - speed of automated check and some new check - will be overestimated, the time we spend in lines as well as security expense will increase.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Funny) by https on Tuesday April 23 2019, @11:59PM
I am wondering if you have ever seen capitalism in action.
Offended and laughing about it.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday April 24 2019, @12:05AM (5 children)
> The result of any automation is that now free resources can and will be used to do additional tasks; checks in this case.
You must be new to modern capitalism.
The result of automating [security checks] will be laying off people.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by legont on Wednesday April 24 2019, @03:23PM (4 children)
They quite recently switched from patting people down to high tech x-ray and other tech machines. Are you old enough to experience both? Did it make your security line shorter? Did it save money? No to all. They x-ray, magnet, sniff, and they still pat.
Bro, your idea of "modern" capitalism is so naive.
Yes, the specific type of NSA or airline monkeys might get fired, but the overall spending will increase and your life will be more miserable.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday April 24 2019, @04:22PM (2 children)
Your primary fault here is to compare gate agents, which are paid by the private airlines, with TSA agents, which are part of the government.
Your secondary fault is to compare machines which are supposed to provide better information to security people who were doing a difficult job in a dismal way, with machines designed to replace gate people.
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday April 24 2019, @05:32PM (1 child)
Your primary fault is to assume that money savings here are driven by free competition while it is as far away from free as possibly could be.
Level of security is mandated by the government and once automated the government will mandate more; even more than was saved. Airlines on the other hand are complacent because they take percentage of the security costs to their profits and move the total to customers. There is no competition here, but a nice bonus for all of them.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday April 24 2019, @05:43PM
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
Airlines are trying to save money by automating away their gate agents, which only do (symbolic) ID checks.
TSA is an ever-expanding mess, added as a fee on your ticket.
STOP conflating the two, FFS!
(Score: 2) by AssCork on Wednesday April 24 2019, @05:12PM
I've already filed the following defect;
"As a security-related object, groping and seeing nude the sheep entrusted into our care is no longer sufficient to complete my daily duties. I require full access to their body cavities.
Just popped-out of a tight spot. Came out mostly clean, too.