Ryanair justifies use of facial recognition on grounds that it is to protect customers
Ryanair issued a note Friday justifying the use of facial recognition to verify the identity of passengers when they book through third parties such as online travel agencies, a practice that was denounced Thursday by digital rights advocacy group NOYB.
Ryanair justified the use of “biometric verification” and “digital verification forms,” arguing that it does so to protect customers from these travel agents who, according to the airline, copy Ryanair’s inventory without authorization and in many cases “mis-sell” flights with hidden margins and provide incorrect customer information.
“The biometric verification is done to ensure that they (as passengers) make the necessary security declarations and are directly informed of all required security and regulatory protocols when traveling, as required by law,” the company stated.
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A similar process is not necessary when booking through their website or cell phone application.
“There is no reasonable justification for Ryanair to implement this system. On the contrary, it appears that the airline is wilfully violating its customers’ right to data protection in order to gain an unfair competitive advantage over alternative booking channels,” NOYB said on Thursday.
NOYB, led by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, filed the complaint with the Spanish data protection agency on behalf of a complainant who booked a Ryanair flight through the Spanish-based online travel agency eDreams.
The Irish airline, Europe’s largest by passenger numbers, states on its website that it needs to verify the identity of passengers booking with travel agencies because travel agencies do not usually provide Ryanair with customers’ contact and payment details.
Information by Javi West Larrañaga, edited by Tomás Cobos – Reuters
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