Canadian airports to have iris scans Last Updated Fri, 15 Feb 2002 16:46:41 TORONTO - Canada Customs will be using iris scanners this summer in some of= =20 the busiest airports in the country. Kiosks equipped with iris-recognition technology will be installed in eight= =20 airports, allowing some travellers to move through a customs checkpoint=20 quickly. The scans can confirm a person's identity in less than 30=20 seconds. The automated kiosks would ask the person to declare any goods=20 and pay applicable duties. People would still be subject to random=20 inspections. "I suspect they would have something akin to an ATM machine,"= =20 Peter Hope-Trindall told CBC Radio. Hope-Trindall is a privacy consultant=20 specializing in biometrics. "You would walk up to it, insert some kind of= =20 card, look into a scanner=85the hardware inside the machine would confirm=20 your identity." The technology examines the unique patterns of the iris,=20 the coloured ring around the pupil of the eye. Iris scans are non-invasive.= =20 The person puts their face in front of a camera, which analyzes all the=20 features. Iris scans are part of biometric technology =97 using a person's= =20 unique physiological characteristics to verify their identity. The iris=20 scans are considered the most practical and accurate of biometric=20 technology =97 irises have 266 characteristics: pits, freckles, lines and=20 striations. A person's iris does not change from the time they are=20 one-year-old. Glasses and contacts don't interfere with the=20 process. Canada Customs is looking at charging an annual fee of $50 to=20 $100. It would be useful for frequent travellers. Those who opt in would be= =20 subjected to a background check. It's reported airports in Toronto and=20 Vancouver would get the scans as early as August followed by Montreal,=20 Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary by the end of 2003. Written by CBC News Online staff The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com ICQ: ICQ # 15836110 ICQ Pager: mailto:15836110@pager.icq.com escape email #!1 mailto:ejames@escape.ca yahoo email #2: mailto:triniroj@yahoo.com Yahoo Pager: triniroj Caribbean Brass & Soca Connection Group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribsocabrass Caribbean Brass & Soca Connection Club Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeansocabrassconnection/ ******************************************************* Steel Expressions Orch http://www.escape.ca/~ejames/se/ email #1: mailto:steelexpressions@yahoo.com email #2: mailto:steelexpressions@home.com ******************************************************* The Trinbago Site of the Week: (NLCB) http://www.nlcb.co.tt/ (National Lotteries Control Board) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://195.224.187.36/ *********************************************************