An iris recognition system at Macao’s Border Gate is now being trialled on people travelling into and out of the SAR, Macau Post Daily reports. If successful, it could replace the need to show identity documents at immigration checkpoints.
The trial period, involving a number of pre-registered volunteers, began yesterday and will run for two weeks, ending on 25 August.
Five iris scanning channels have been set up at both the departure and arrival halls of the Border Gate checkpoint, which separates Macao’s northern tip from Zhuhai. During the trial, these channels will operate intermittently between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm each day.
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Iris recognition technology is considered a more efficient and accurate biometric border control mechanism than fingerprinting, previous reports have noted, and has the advantage of being contactless.
Volunteers using the channels yesterday told local media that the process was smooth and quick.
However, the government has not shared a timeline for iris scanning’s broader rollout. A number of concerns also surround its use, such as the risk of one’s biometric data being shared or used beyond its intended purpose.
Earlier this month, the government was urged to promote better data security.
