Olympics to deploy facial recognition technology to screen staff, athletes and reporters

Facial recognition technology will be used at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics to streamline the entry of athletes, officials and journalists to the games venues, sources close to the organizing committee said. The technology won't be used on spectators, who will be asked to show their tickets and submit to luggage checks just as in the previous Olympics, the sources, who declined to be named, said Saturday. The organizing committee will distribute ID cards bearing facial photos for those involved with the games, which is expected to reach around 300,000 to 400,000 people, including the athletes. When they enter the venues, their face will be automatically checked against the registered photo for discrepancies. Digital verification will make it difficult to use stolen or forged cards and is also expected to reduce waiting times.