Semlex Making Smart & Secure Identification a Reality for Citizens

Biometrics play a crucial role in reviving airports after the pandemic, according to Albert Karaziwan, founder of the identity company Semlex.

Few industries have been as severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as the travel sector. Finally, after years of lockdowns and restrictions, the industry is ready to push further after its long-awaited comeback, with travelers eagerly desiring and demanding a seamless travel experience in the post-pandemic era, and it all starts at the airport.

Achieving this goal is not without its challenges, and the sector needs to ensure smoother and faster transitions of millions of travellers every day, while also maintaining security, compliance and privacy. To aid in this struggle, enter biometrics.

Biometrics refers to the use of a person’s physical characteristics and behaviour for identification and security purposes. It is widely considered one of the most accurate and robust forms of ID verification available. Many of us unknowingly use biometric authentication in our daily lives, such as facial recognition on smartphones or fingerprint recognition when logging into online banking apps. Biometrics can improve efficiency by eliminating the need for manual checks, offering convenience and security without the hassle of carrying tokens or remembering passwords. They are difficult to duplicate and remain consistent after a certain age.

So, how can biometrics specifically help the airport industry? While airports must ensure swift service and a seamless travel experience, security and safety remain paramount and cannot be compromised. Fortunately, biometric technology allows us to achieve both objectives simultaneously.

Consider the figures: there are currently over 1.2 billion electronic passports in service worldwide, which means that 1.2 billion passport photos are accessible in an internationally standardised format through facial recognition systems. The widespread adoption of automated border control technology streamlines the verification process for millions of travellers each year, relieving the burden on border force staff.

This represents one of the most challenging use cases for biometrics combined with electronic encryption, and it has already been implemented in a growing number of airports.

One example of biometrics in action is automated border control systems, also known as eGates. These automated self-service barriers use data stored in a chip in biometric passports, along with a fingerprint or photo taken at the time of entry, to verify the passport holder’s identity. This process involves authenticating the passport, verifying the traveler’s identity, and checking and clearing that identity with government and third-party systems. Despite sounding cumbersome, this entire process takes mere seconds, enabling travellers to pass through border control confidently and effortlessly.

And there is more to come. To enable more people to use eGates, wider designs are now being deployed to accommodate wheelchair users and process families as a single group.

On-the-move facial recognition and contactless fingerprint scanning even challenge the need for physical doors. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) aims to transform passports into Digital Travel Credentials, allowing digital passports and e-visas to be accessed from the same digital wallet throughout the world.

Biometrics also offers a solution for streamlining the outbound passenger journey experience. Whether using an airport eGate or their mobile phone, travellers now carry their biometrics with them. Imagine if these biometrics could be used to create a unique ID, allowing passage through check-in, bag drop, border control, and security at the gate without the need to show a ticket or ID at every touchpoint.

Here’s how it would work: passengers would enrol through an app. This process involves capturing their passport data page and passport chip image, authenticating the passport, capturing a live face image, and matching it with the passport chip facial image. When checking in with an airline, passengers would then share their biometrics, assuming they agree to do so. This information, combined with the Digital Travel Credential, allows the traveler to be identified at all touchless self-service points within a terminal. The technology works in real-time, with the token erased once the flight has taken off, ensuring absolute data privacy.

Through automated biometric and document verification technologies, the process for passengers, airports, and airlines is significantly simplified, with improved efficiency and integrated security.

A pioneer in the field is Semlex, a leading biometric identification systems company, that has pushed forward the use of biometrics in the world and established strong confidence with governments worldwide.

Semlex was founded in 1992 by Albert Karaziwan, a Belgian entrepreneur, with a vision to combat identity fraud by providing biometric identification systems. The company quickly gained recognition for its role in enhancing border security and preventing document falsification. Semlex became the first to introduce biometric passports in Africa, starting with Chad in 2001.

Today, as a long-term trusted partner of key national security clients, including government, Semlex operates in over 40 countries, manufacturing a wide range of biometric documents and offering services such as border control, voter registration, and vehicle registration.

At the ID4Africa event, the company showcased the technology behind seamless travel such as Semlex’s cloud-based identity and verification solution. The solution accurately identifies and authorises travellers from both high and low-risk countries, and when combined with API and airline data, it offers a precise picture of individuals before they cross the border. It also demonstrated Semlex IDV technology, including their desktop passport reader with document verification software and contactless fingerprint scanner with enrolment software, as well as showcasing their secure digital companions to physical documents, such as its Digital Travel Credential, which is stored in a phone’s digital wallet.

Overall, biometrics offer a powerful tool to propel the airport industry into the future, creating an environment where efficiency, security, and convenience harmoniously coexist. With ongoing innovation and strategic partnerships, the potential of biometrics to transform the airport experience is limitless, ensuring a safer, smoother, and more enjoyable journey for travelers worldwide, and at the forefront of this ground-breaking field is founder Albert Karaziwan and his team at company, Semlex.