- SingPass Face Verification (SFV): As the cornerstone, SFV allows citizens and residents to securely log in to over 2,700 government and private sector digital services. This includes accessing tax returns, applying for public housing, managing health records, and even opening bank accounts online. The “Genuine Presence Assurance” technology ensures liveness detection, preventing fraud using photos, videos, or masks.
- Reduced Friction: This eliminates the need for physical tokens, dongles, or remembering multiple complex passwords, making digital interactions much more streamlined and convenient for users.
- Kiosks: For individuals without smartphones or those less tech-savvy, designated public kiosks equipped with facial verification capabilities ensure accessibility to these digital services.
2. Travel and Border Control:
- Changi Airport (FAST initiative): Singapore’s Changi Airport has been a leader in using facial recognition for a “Fast and Seamless Travel” (FAST) experience. This includes:
- Automated Immigration Gates (AIG): Passengers can use facial and thumbprint biometrics for faster immigration clearance.
- Automated Boarding Gates (ABG): Facial recognition verifies passengers’ identities at boarding gates, matching them against photos taken at immigration.
- Future Vision: The aim is to eventually allow passengers to clear all airport processes using only their face, potentially eliminating the need for physical passports within the airport for citizens.
3. Public Safety and Security:
- Smart Lampposts: Singapore has plans to install cameras with facial recognition capabilities on over 100,000 lampposts across the island. These cameras are intended for:
- Crowd Analytics: To monitor crowd density and movement, which can be useful for managing public spaces and events.
- Anti-Terror Operations and Investigations: To assist in identifying individuals for security purposes in the event of incidents.
- Law Enforcement: Facial recognition is used by law enforcement agencies to compare mugshots, identify known criminals, and assist in locating missing persons or victims of human trafficking.