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CBSA Eyes Smartphone Facial Recognition Tech for Up to $34 Million
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is planning a federal project that could see travellers using facial recognition technology via smartphones to identify themselves at border crossings.
The plan is still in its concept phase with a pilot project expected in two to four years. The plan is to create a faster and more seamless travel experience.
This optional system would match a photo from a traveller’s passport with a selfie taken on a mobile device, according to CBSA. As part of the prep work, the federal government has issued a notice seeking technical solutions from potential vendors, with contracts valued at up to $25 million USD ($34.1 million CAD), which seems like a hefty amount. The criteria for evaluation include image quality, fraud detection, and image matching capabilities.
“This research is a necessary and important step to ensure that the CBSA acquires the proper technology to support and optimize the future use of biometric technology at the border,” said agency spokeswoman Jacqueline Roby, to The Canadian Press.
However, the proposal has already sparked concerns among privacy advocates. An Ottawa-based civil liberties coalition is raising alarms about the privacy and accountability implications of such technology. The use of facial recognition has been divisive, highlighted by a parliamentary committee’s hearing on misidentification risks, especially for Black and Asian individuals, and the potential for mass surveillance.
The CBSA uses facial recognition tech already when Canadians are coming home at borders. As part of the customs clearing process, travellers can use booths to confirm their identities.
The House of Commons committee on access to information, privacy, and ethics, in its October 2022 report, has called on the government to develop a regulatory framework to address the use, oversight, and privacy of facial recognition technology.
Tim McSorley, national coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, expressed concerns that this program could lead to broader applications, such as matching travelers’ photos against extensive image databases. “So without more clarity around the project, we’d be worried that this is a first step towards a more expanded use of this kind of facial identification program,” McSorley stated.
“For all new biometrics projects, we follow rules for privacy and test new technology with a diverse group of participants,” reassured Roby, saying that privacy is a key consideration in the development of this technology.
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ArriveCAN 2.0?
Don’t worry. Should the Cons get elected (not likely) they’ll blame any issues on the Liberals.
Cope harder 🤡
https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/tories-hold-steady-19-point-lead-over-liberals
Do some reading before you go spouting s*** on the Internet.
People are tired of government waste and over-taxation. Just cause YOU don’t want your precious liberal government out doesn’t mean they’re staying.
Comparing our conservatives to the likes of trump is laughable at best – our Conservative Party is more closely aligned with the Democrats than the Republicans.
An APP cost us $60m, and we think FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE is going to cost half that? LMAO
We have to pay Trudeau’s family $15m, an MP’s brother’s cousin’s boyfriend another $10m, the project’s contractor outsourcing $10m… THEN the budget starts.
I’m willing to bet more taxpayer money goes to paying our politicians/greasing wheels than to actual programs that benefit taxpayers.
These spineless parasites should have to work a full 25 years for their pension just like everyone else
Calm down, drink some tainted Kool-Aid, visit Truth Social and chat with others who suffer from TDS. Then you’ll be fine.
Lmao truth social, that assumption says a lot about you.
I’m not conservative or liberal. I’m Canadian. And I’m sick of this government spending so much money. That’s it.
Take your left vs right BS elsewhere
Agree completely. Government, left or right, needs to be held accountable. This government has absolutely 0 ethics, accountability, honesty and integrity. I’d love to hear someone’s explanation regarding arrivecan and how it was good management of money.
This government’s history of spending is 90% to the buracrats, contractors, 10% to the people of Canada. How is this okay? How are people this braindead to not use critical thinking skills? Why is it that when you point this out you immediately are told to go to truth social? Trump is just the polar opposite of Trudeau, but they are the same kind of human being – all about themselves. . They both seemingly have a cult.
Yeah, if I hate Trudeau I automatically am a Trump supporter.
FOH with that. Buddy just wants to divide and argue.
WE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY
This would be questionable at the best of times. But, under the current gov with a history of mismanagement, overspending billions, systematic corruption and graft and literally trampling on citizens and their rights, this should be avoided at all costs.
Expect the costs to balloon to over $1b, for the contractors to be friends of Trudeau/LPC and not have nearly the level of security clearance needed, for the gov to use the data against their “enemies” (re:Canadians) and for them to find novel new ways to screw Canadians with it.
Oh my. It seems we’re revisiting the TDS (Trudeau Derangement Syndrome) phenomenon once more. Isn’t it curious how most of the trolls on this site conveniently overlook their former champion, Stephen Harper? Such selective memory seems par for the course with the far right.
Yeah, the days when a $20 glass of orange juice caused a cabinet minister to resign.
The problem with Trudeau groupies is they have to imagine things were this bad before. They werent. Not even close. Facts matter.
Trudeau likes them young and dumb, in all of his jobs.
Just like this guy apparently lmao
The fact that this is getting downvoted speaks volumes. How are people still falling for this?
Never underestimate the stupidity and stubbornness of a diehard Trudeau groupie. While he busy ruining Canada, they refuse to see it and try to convince everyone that all PMs have been as corrupt, criminal or incompetent. They’ll boldly lie and shamelessly try to rewrite history.
Look at some of the comments here. We have one genius whose best line, frequently repeated, is to copy a line used in the US about Trump derangement syndrome. That’s right, the best cope this clown can come up with is to literally copy a line from Trump supporters. And then he upvotes his own posts with his own account and an alt. Desperately dumb.
Oh god, someone is not reading the room correctly over at the CBSA.
That’s not how Immigration and Customs work in the Federal Government. It’s the Minister’s office who’s responsible (not to be confused with the PM) who comes up with these crazy schemes.