Airport Starts Using Iris Screener

Called CANPASS Air, the system takes a black-and-white photo of the eye and cross-references the iris with an Ottawa database in about 20 seconds. The program already services seven cities, including Calgary. The technology is called biometrics, which uses physical characteristics, such as fingerprints or facial features, to verify a person’s identity. An iris is as individual as a fingerprint. Only Canadian and American citizens or resident aliens of the past three years may sign up. The service costs $50 but is free for those under 18. The unveiling of the $167,000 project comes at a time when U.S. President George Bush suggests using fingerprints in lieu of a passport for Canadian travellers who head south. In an announcement this spring that raised concerns over curtailing of cross-border trade, the U.S. Homeland Security Department announced all Canadians travelling to the United States must have a passport by 2008, instead of driver’s licence or birth certificate. The U.S. State Department also has confirmed it is considering biometric identification, where the United States would keep a database of Canadian fingerprints. “The events of 9/11 moved this along much quicker,” Loretta Nyhus, spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, said of CANPASS Air. McLellan, who also is minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, said if the U.S. requires biometrics information from Canadian travellers, Canada likely would adopt a policy of reciprocity and ask for the same information. http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/17/2005-07-07/21901 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on July 17, 2005]

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