In the News: Facial Recognition Software at Tokyo's 2020 Olympics

Image used under CC BY 2.0 from Flickr user ajpscs

The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games announced their plans to use facial recognition software as a security measure to verify the identities of athletes, officials, and media representatives at entry checkpoints. The intention behind the added technology is for increased security, comfort, and convenience, as stated in recent press release [1]. As the Games will occur during Tokyo’s hottest months, the new feature has been added to decrease wait times for athletes during security checks, and to prevent forged or stolen accreditation from being used [2].

The software to be employed throughout the Games, called NeoFace, has been developed by NEC Corp., which currently uses their biometric identification technology in airports and other large-scale facilities in more than 70 countries, Japan included [3]. Facial images of authorized individuals will be collected prior to the events and stored in a database. These images will then be compared against facial scans at checkpoints in order to verify identity. While the technology will be used at over 40 venues during the games, such as the Olympic village, media tents, and arenas, officials have reassured that its use is reserved for accredited personnel only. Ticket holders, therefore, will not be subjected to the software. [4]

What do you think of facial recognition technology being used at a global event such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games? Should athletes and personnel have the choice to opt out of this security measure? Be sure to leave a comment in the discussion box with your thoughts!

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