Rotterdam to scan passengers' faces

[Puffin13]

Rotterdam to scan passengers' faces
19 August 2010

The public transport authority in Rotterdam RET is to put face recognition scanners in thirteen trams on line 2 in October, RTV Rijnmond reports on Thursday.

The scanners will record the biometric features of passengers as they enter the tram. If a passenger with a public transport ban is spotted, an alarm will sound in the driver's cabin and the passenger will be removed.

Rotterdam's tram line 2 is a problem line with a high rate of fights and damage. Over the past two years, around 40 troublemakers have been given a public order ban.

At the moment, drivers are issued with photos of banned passengers and have to recognise them from these.

The test with the scanners will last one year and cost €200,000, shared by RET and the home affairs ministry.

Source

[archambaut]

200kE to police 40 bans - seems like a solution looking
for a problem to me.
I guess the scanner folks need a reason to generate
new sales....

Arch

[Pauli Wallnuts]

disgusting, facial recognition is big brothers most powerful tool, much more effective in keeping tabs on people than any other biometrics,
imagine it 10000 people walking down oxford st, each 1 tagged & named on a database, scary stuff, imagine if hitler or stalin had these tools &whos to say another wont be voted in again in future

[hardboiled]

another stalin is an inevitability.

The trouble will be recognizing them soon enough...