Fingerprint recognition reliable

My Paper

24 Nov 2009

WE REFER to the letter by Mr Nelson Quah, “Use eye or DNA identification at immigration checkpoints” (my paper, Nov 13).

The use of fingerprint recognition technology for automated immigration clearance is a proven, reliable system used by many authorities worldwide.

More importantly, for Singapore, travellers can use the automated facility as long as their fingerprints are already registered with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), without having to separately enroll their biometrics.

However, ICA recognizes that this form of automated clearance may not be suitable for less than 1 per cent of eligible travellers.

People with excessively wet or dry fingerprints, and the elderly, whose fingerprints are fading, may experience difficulties using the system.

As an accurate match is necessary for positive identification, the scanned fingerprints must meet minimum technical and security requirements.

Hence, officers performing secondary checks have been guiding users who encounter such problems to clear immigration at manned counters.

If the quality of the records of a traveller’s fingerprint does not meet requirements, we will endeavour to record a better set.

Should a traveller’s fingerprints be unsuitable for use in automated clearance, we will advise him to use the manual counters in future.

This was what happened in Mrs Quah’s case when she used the Enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System at Tuas Checkpoint on Oct 30.

We thank Mr Quah for his suggestion to use eye- or DNA-recognition technology. We had explored them previously before deciding on the use of fingerprints.

Presently, it is not feasible for ICA to introduce an additional or separate system using such biometrics for automated clearance, as travellers would have to be pre-registered before they can use the system.

Ms Chia Hui Keng
Head, Public & Internal Communications Branch
Corporate Communications Division
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority


Use eye or DNA identification at immigration checkpoints

My Paper

13 Nov 2009

ON OCT 30, at about 3pm, my wife and I were at the Tuas checkpoint on our way to Malaysia.

We used the automated clearance system and my wife had trouble getting her thumbprint verified by the scanning machine.

A Customs officer asked her to get her thumbprint recaptured and updated at a counter instead. Many attempts were made to capture thumbprints from both hands, but they failed.

After about 10 minutes, the officer gave up and rudely told my wife not to waste his and her time.

He also asked her not to use the automated system in future. Are there no alternatives other than to
channel travellers with thumbprint problems to join the usually long queue for clearance?

The authorities should tap on technology to provide other means of identification so as to facilitate the
movement of travellers at Customs checkpoints.

They could consider using eye or DNA identification, instead of relying solely on thumbprints.

Mr Nelson Quah