Fingerprints, eye scans part of program to speed 'low-risk' border crossings

Ottawa Citizen
Posted: Jan 14, 2007

 

A reporter has a picture of her iris recorded while trying iris recognition biometric technology being used at Vancouver International Airport.

Photograph by : Chuck Stoody, The Canadian Press

 

 

No-fly lists aren't the only way authorities in Canada and the United States are trying to deal with the threat of aviation terrorism.

Another strategy is the joint Canadian-U.S. NEXUS traveller program, which allows low-risk travellers to cross the border more easily -- as long as they're willing to submit to a background check and provide fingerprints and other personal data.

NEXUS air, highway and marine programs were consolidated last month into a single "trusted traveller" program. NEXUS, which started in 2002, now has more than 110,000 members in Canada and the U.S.

Canadians who want to join must pay an $80 fee, good for five years membership, and supply proof of citizenship, admissibility and place of residence.

Those who have criminal records, who have violated customs or immigration law or are inadmissible to Canada or the United States under immigration rules are not eligible for the program.

Canadian applicants will be interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, who will verify all information, finalize eligibility requirements and take fingerprints.

If you are accepted into NEXUS, the officer will take a digital photo of your irises, which will be used to identify NEXUS members who enter Canada or the U.S. by air. Those who cross at land borders can use dedicated lanes, while marine travellers can report to border officials by phone.

A NEXUS membership will be recognized as an alternative to a passport under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which comes into force for air travellers on Jan. 23.

As well, some American airports are using a new security program called SPOT, which stands for Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques.

Modelled on Israeli airport screening techniques, SPOT trains "behaviour detection officers" to recognize suspicious behaviour, such as facial twitches or excessive perspiring. Such passengers are taken aside for additional security screening.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is currently evaluating an automated version of SPOT. Using a device called Cogito, passengers answer a set of questions on a touch screen while inserting a hand into a sensor that measures such biometric responses as sweat levels and blood pressure.

On second thought, maybe you should just stay home and curl up with a good book.