THE UK BORDER AGENCY is trialling a new automated border control system using facial recognition at Manchester International Airport.

Thanks to the new system provided by Fujitsu Services in partnership with Vision-Box S A, the tens of people that hold electronic passports and pour through Terminal 1 of the thriving metropolis' bustling airport on a daily basis will now be able to fast-track through immigration with no prior registration.

The airport has installed 'smart gates' which use advanced facial recognition algorithms and intelligent sensors to help get passengers through the faster and with less hassle.

It works by reading the biometric information from the electronic passport and comparing it to the data collected by the sensors at the gate. Both of these checks are also integrated into the UK's existing border control systems to ensure integrity of the border is maintained.

Eithne Wallis, the managing director of Government Business for Fujitsu Services reckons that "Trials of this nature are a hugely exciting prospect for UK ports of entry."

We look forward to seeing how this system opens up new and interesting ways for the government to lose our personal details. µ