Casino chief defends covert facial
scanning of patrons The use of high-tech facial scanning equipment to hunt for card cheats was defended yesterday by the chief executive officer of the government body that licenses, monitors and polices Ontario's casinos. Duncan Brown, of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, rejected criticism of the system and said it was not "Big Brother" watching people. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, attacked the gaming commission yesterday over reports of the use of biometric-reading video equipment that digitally scans the faces of casino patrons and compares them to a computer database of known cheats and others banned from casinos. "This technology is behind the scenes; it is a covert method of surveillance that you are not aware of," Ms. Cavoukian said after newspaper reports suggested the new technology was continuously scanning customers at all provincial casinos. "No one there is aware that this is taking place, that your facial scan is being captured and then compared to a police database of mug shots. Think of all the busloads of tourists and retirees who attend these casinos for a day of activity. Why should they be subjected to the same law enforcement techniques that criminals are being subjected to? "It is a fishing expedition." Ms. Cavoukian ordered an investigation of the |
technology and the
procedures surrounding the equipment. However, Mr. Brown said the criticism is unfair and based on incorrect information. "I'll try to keep my temper in check. I think this is being regrettably misunderstood," Mr. Brown said, adding that Ms. Cavoukian received wrong information from a story carried in newspapers in Toronto, Hamilton and Guelph. "There is this impression that was created, that everybody that walks into an Ontario casino is somehow being scanned. It is Star Wars technology that is spooky -- we've scanned you and you are now in this database and we know everything there is to know about you and Big Brother is watching. "Well, it is just a crock." He said the technology, computers and software that were introduced in May simply automate a labour-intensive investigative technique used by police for years. It is no more invasive than the old method of thumbing through books of mug shots, he said. Police used to zoom in on a suspect, capture the face and then manually compare it to pictures of known cheats compiled by casinos around North America. By the time they found a possible match, the suspect could have finished a scam and fled with the take, said Mr. Brown. The new technology creates a mathematical map of a suspect's face and looks for faces in the database with a mathematically similar face within seconds. Facial scanning is not used to routinely scan casino patrons, he said. Only people inside the casino who appear suspicious are targeted by the cameras that are linked to the computer. Copyright © 2001 National Post
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