Cricket fans in England better not apply for a passport for the next few days. It’d be too hard to stop them smiling.
It seems that Britons applying for a passport from today will be told not to smile but to face the camera with a neutral expression so new biometric scanners can accurately read their facial features. New regulations on passport photographs will bring British passports in to line with internationally agreed standards that enable biometric facial recognition technology to work properly. We’re already told to face the camera with a blank expression here in Australia.
They say that facial recognition systems match key features on the holder’s face and work best when the face has a neutral expression with the mouth closed. Well that’s what they say.
I think the reason that we’re all told not to smile for passport photos is a lot simpler than facial recognition technology. I think it’s more likely that authorities don’t want you to smile because they know that you won’t be smiling after a long international flight and you won’t look anything like your passport photo if it shows you with a big cheesey grin.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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Enjoyed reading your blog. tfs
I will be interesting to know If the scanner and computer can tell if someone is a Christ-follower or not.
Just a thought…
the passports used to be the non-smiley type … and you probably have a point re the way we look after a LONG flight!