Iris scanning at LHR

[Mike Oxbig]

Anyone signed up and using the new iris scanning system at LHR? Does it work well and is it more efficient (get through the immigration section more quickly)? Any thoughts on the consequences of having such personal details held on a government database (another precurser to the (non?) compusory UK ID card)?

[Globaliser]

It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up. I've only used it to enter twice so far, but both times have been fine. You have to try to get your eyes lined up on the green dots on the screen that you're looking at, and sometimes the machine takes the picture prematurely, but when it's happy it's happy very quickly.

As for the personal details, the government's already got my photo linked to my passport. Why should I care whether they also have a picture of my eyes?

In any case, my personal view is that government is generally too inefficient and otherwise-engaged to make any malign use of information held on people who've done nothing wrong. I fear my fellow citizens far more.

[trainer too 2]

Where do you sign up and what is the cost?

[Cahlibahn]

I am absolutely not bothered bt iris scanning. If it assists security then I support it. My question is "Does it enhance security?" I have my doubts.

[Final Call]

Yup!

I have to agree with the remarks above....

I am amazed how many people I know are uneasy about it...
Coming back from our Hub on Monday, I was through IRIS and in my office with a cuppa 10 minutes before my IRIS reluctant colleague got through the manual check!

Mind you the process is probably slower than the manual option, and if it ever caught on, I don't think it would do much to reduce queuing times.


but until then, give it a go!

It's nice to beat the queues!:ok:

[tallsandwich]

Currently your many personal details are held in a collection of very poorly secured databases spread across commerce and the civil service. This information collectively forms your identity, and the misuse of it represents a risk to your security.

The way you prove to an organisation that you are who you say you are is by presenting paper documents that make reference to various parts of this data somwhere in this collection of databases.

Obviously it is easier for someone to abuse your identity if all they have to do is buy a good colour printer and buy some data about you (stolen from the many databases already mentioned).

Why any law abiding person would be opposed to improving the link between you (the biological thing) and you (your electronic identity - which already exists so tough luck there!) is illogical. If it is harder to pretend to be someone else, then everyone benefits apart from the criminals.

Sure, this step in itself does not improve security, but at least you have a good foundation.

As for those who think that iris scanning/DNA/fingerprint scanning makes it easier to collate all this information about you, and then (mis)use the data - think again...it is already being done (and done very badly but this does not stop it being used).

Those who think that "they don't trust government" to handle that personal data...well such collated personal data is already being handled by commerical organisations...do these people think that "business" is better able to safely handle it?

Those who think that the data security systems are never 100% safe also miss the point. They are not 100% safe, but they are much more secure than current paper based systems and offer traceability.

I prefer to be able to prove who I am quickly and thus also have the ability to quickly change that data if it is wrong. Currenlty correcting a mistake in those many may databases takes forever - and if you have to produce lots of paper to prove who you are...round and round in circles.

It's a cliché but only those who have something to hide are worried about it, and the rest are simply ill informed. A few probably want to stay in the steam age but I suspect these folks are also quite happy to order their steam engines over the web using HTTPS over SSL :}

[GlobalConnex]

Where do you sign up and what is the cost?

It is free (to the user, though not to the UK tax payer, so it depends how you define the term 'cost', I suppose!)

You may sign up at LHR T1, 2 or 4 only. You do this airside after security at the designated enrolment stations. T1: as you walk out of security on the right. T2: near gate 1. T4: near gates 3 and 4.

Although I have not looked at it, they have a website: www.iris.gov.uk (http://www.iris.gov.uk).

If you are a UK citizen, your passport is sufficient to register. Not sure about non-UK, though you only need a legitimate right to remain in the UK to qualify, i.e. non-UK citizens may participate, but I am not sure which additional docs are required in that case.

I think it's a great thing to get out of the terminals quickly, as even the EU queues have swelled as of late with more thorough checks and an every-expanding EU...

As my iris data is already (involuntarily) property of the US government thanks to new regs, I am not to worried about the UK government also getting hold of it (through my choice) and the implications associated with it.

Cheers.

[Mike Oxbig]

Thanks for the info - everyone seems up for it then!

[acbus1]

None too keen to have beams of whatever focusing into my eyes! :uhoh:

"It's perfectly safe!" I hear?

Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

[effortless]

I had to have my eyes rescanned three times in two years at one site as my irises change for some reason.