One ID: a seamless air travel experience, or more surveillance?

A story in Friday’s Guardian, “”, reports on the revolution that will come with the replacement of boarding passes and check-in with biometric identification, supposedly improving life for airplane passengers and improving security.

The proposals are outlined in , which is , who say they will reduce waiting times for passengers. Critics highlight concerns about the use of biometric data and the increased surveillance travelers will be subjected to.

Originally used to assign seats, check-in luggage in and validate identity, check-in is an unavoidable step for all passengers. But digitization and applications increasingly make this procedure a virtual process, drastically reducing waiting times at the airport. But passengers still have to show their boarding pass (physical or digital) and, in many cases, their identification document a number of times before boarding their plane.

, airports will be able to process more travelers per hour, reduce the operating costs associated with ground staff and paper, and reduce congestion in check-in areas. At the same time, it aims to simplify the user experience, making it faster and more…