After the controversial cancellation of the NAIM, the Government of Mexico inaugurated the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), the axis of its strategy to end the saturation of flights in the Valley of Mexico.
One of the characteristics of the new terminal in Santa Lucía is the use of facial recognition and collection of biometric data to facilitate documentation and boarding.
The AIFA raises a fully automated boarding experience, from check-in to takeoff. For it will integrate a biometric system at airport gates and countersas well as in an application for mobile devices.
Users will be able to download the app, take a photo and document themselves prior to their arrival at AIFA. Once at the airport, they will go to the airline’s kiosks or counter in case of registering luggage. Older adults, or those unfamiliar with technology, will have support from airline and airport staff.
Although the biometric data system at the entrances would increase operational efficiency, its use represents a risk to the privacy and security of passengers. Both the Government and the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) they have not detailed the protection measures at the information.
The AIFA is obliged to inform passengers about the use it will make of their biometric data
According to Sedena, the biometric registry contemplates the consent of the passenger, digitization of the passport, taking a photograph and creation of a Digital Registry. The picture of our face is associated with the boarding passalthough the time they will be stored in the AIFA database is unknown.
Josefina Román, commissioner of the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), it states what the airport is required to create a privacy notice that details the use of biometric data and the time in which it will be protected.
The ideal would be to erase (data) immediately. If the privacy notice says ‘Do you prefer that they be kept if you are going to be a frequent user?’, it should be stated there. That is why it is very important to work on these documents, as well as the impact assessment, as well as the privacy notice.
Josefina Román, commissioner of the INAI
In an interview with Expansionthe INAI commissioner said that the biometric system for calls e-Gates must operate in accordance with the rules on transparency and data protection personal.
At the time of publication there is no privacy notice and the Web from AIFA marks a database error.
Automation in exchange for your information
The speech of Sedena and President Andres Manuel López Obrador has focused on automation. Government tries to resolve the distance from the AIFA with a reduced time in the documentation before boarding.
Federal officials and personnel from the company Apollocom — responsible for installing biometric equipment — anticipate profits during the check in contactless and paperless. General Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez, a key figure in the AIFA, mentioned in the morning that the airport is adapted to the technological needs of a post-pandemic world.
Although facial recognition translates into a better experience, the use of biometric data is not the solution for AIFA. The Government of Mexico tends to minimize claims to the protection of personal data and for example, the controversial National Registry of Mobile Telephony Users is enough.
A year ago, the Mexican Senate endorsed a ruling to collect biometric data when buying a cell phone. The measure caused a stir, the injunctions arrived and the INAI decided to challenge the decree before the Supreme Court. In response, President López Obrador charged against the judges and said that it was all about manipulation.
Mexico does not have mechanisms to protect our personal data
The registration of biometric data represents a security risk, since it cannot be completely guaranteed that your information will be protected. The AIFA is not only obliged to inform users, but also to implement additional measures to prevent a massive leak.
Mexico would have to analyze the case of Biostar 2, a facial recognition system, which suffered a security breach in 2019. According to Guardianresearchers accessed an unencrypted database with sensitive information on more than a million people.
The use of facial recognition is also a threat to privacy and freedom to travel. The Government and some security specialists mention that biometric systems can help identify criminals or impostors. The truth is this technology has multiple flaws and an identification mistake could cause wrongful arrests.
Perhaps the best alternative would be to create an efficient transportation system to the AIFA with a free connection to the AICM. Arriving two hours earlier is safer than finding out that your data is being sold for 500 pesos in Tepito.