Does anyone else find the new facial profiling at Heathrow intrusive?

[Pufflette]

Does anyone else find the new facial profiling at Heathrow intrusive? And they won't let you onto the flight until they photographed you for I saw two people having to go back to get it done. My friend remarked that we have no idea what is then done with that information. Is it sold to another company? Is it placed onto a database?

[hc4361]

It is not sold. It is because the authorities want to know who is in that burkha before they let them on the plane, and this is one of doing it that can't be discriminatory, as everyone has to have their photo taken.

[auntiebertie]

If you have nothing to hide you should have no problems with this.

[Hawkwalk]

I dont see where the intrusion is. You are being filmed on CCTV as soon as you get near to heathrow and many times a day as you go about your normal business. Just part of life now and I can see no harm in it unless you are doing something wrong.

[R1Geezer]

You wait they'll have you going through B0llock naked next! If we do this to ourselves the terrorists are winning!

[squarebear]

Anything to help stop terrorism. What do you have to hide?

[R1Geezer]

it's not stopping terrorism. the true damage of terrorism is not a few bombs and bullets it's what we do to ourselves in the name of "security" out of fear, it's law changes to give power to faceless jobswroths to curtail our civil liberties,that's the true damage terrorists do they make us make our own lives intollerable.

Do not fall into the "nothing to hide nothing to fear" naivity

[Pufflette]

Hawktalk, if we're already on CCTV then why do they need to facial profile us?

I hear this perpetual argument that if we have nothing to hide then let them do as they please. From history and Biblical perspective we know that often the innocent are picked on. And why should we always be accountable to the government yet there policies never to us?

[YUMMYMUM3010]

Simple: If you dont like the rules, don't fly ! I travelled to and from Gatwick this month, witnessing people getting very disgruntled having their bags searched etc. The customs staff were being polite and just doing their jobs to a very high standard. At the end of the day if people feel it is too "intrusive" to have images/cctv/searches done at airports then I suggest they holiday in this country and lump it. Sorry I am all for safety nowadays.

[filthiestfis]

I agree with above. I dont care if they scan my face. I have nothing to hide and I know that it is being done for a sensible reason.

[kira000]

For info- having worked at both Heathrow and Gatwick.

The data is stored until the last flight of the day has departed, and is then deleted. Not sold or looked at.

The "data" is actually just a biometric of your face, it is not linked to any flight or name data, so they cannot find anything out about you. The machine at the gate, scans your face, and tries to match that image with the one taken at security.

It is only done for passengers travelling on UK internal flights to ensure that international passengers without the right of entry to the UK, cannot sneak on by swapping with another passenger, as passports arent required for domestic flights.
It is for that reason you have to go back to be rephotographed if you lose your boarding card with the data barcode on.

[Whickerman]

R1Geezer...


Too Late mate. Have a look here.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2506531 n&tag=related;photovideo

[weeal]

That ^ is impressive.

Do you think they go thro strict airport security just for the hell of it? its for travellers safety and anyone moaning about it just shouldnt travel.

I would want to know that people on MY flight were being checked as safe, myself included. Everyone moans about everything these days.

[Pufflette]

I don't mind having my bags checked, and I find the no liquids things annoying but not intrusive. It's just this whole DNA, photographic, ID card culture that has arisen that disturbs me. And people are so trusting with their information despite huge losses of data in the pass. In one way more data taken puts us more at risk because if it gets into the wrong hands then we're in double trouble. And this claim of global terrorism that the government barks at us despite the terrorism here being home-grown.