Aftermath of the trans-atlantic scare
Following the foiled bomb plot to bring down up to 10 trans-atlantic passenger planes, security at airports in Europe and North America has been considerably bolstered. The increased presence of armed police that follows any terror scare was there, but the unprecidented move to ban all hand luggage reared its head for the first time.
Passengers were allowed only the most essential items onto the plane, after suspected al-Quieda terrorists had planned to detonate bombs concocted from spotrs drinks, chemical gels and common electrical devices like mobile phones or CD players. Liquids must now be tasted by the passenger to prove they are not the feared liquid explosive.
What does this mean for biometrics? Well, we all knew security, especially on airlines, would only tighten with time. The events of this week may have shunted the progress of a widespread adoption of biometric identification at ports and borders.
Biometrics may help security at airports, but it will take a good system and foolproof scanning method to ensure the determined terrorists fail in their extremist endeavors. Within a few years, I am sure we’ll look back on the years gone by and wonder how we allowed such luggage freedom in the first place.