Canada to Test Advancements in Biometrics and Blockchain to Welcome International Travellers

• The Government of Canada announced today it will pioneer the testing of the Known Traveller Digital Identity system, a concept that improves security and the seamless flow of people across borders
• The Known Traveller Digital Identity utilises biometrics, cryptography and distributed ledger technology to give travellers control over, and the ability to share their information with authorities in advance of travel for expedited clearance, while building trust between public authorities to improve risk and threat detection
• The project runs in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, and a prototype - developed with Accenture - was launched today at its 48th Annual Meeting
• For more information, visit https://www.weforum.org/projects/shaping-the-future-of-security-in-travel or read The Known Traveller: Unlocking the potential of digital identity for secure and seamless travel report

GENEVA, SUI, Jan. 25, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada will collaborate with the World Economic Forum and partners to test emerging digital technologies and their application to air travel.

Following the launch of a Known Traveller Digital Identity prototype, the Government of Canada will design a proof of concept pilot project between two countries, demonstrating the potential of emerging biometrics and distributed ledger technologies and their impact on facilitating secure and seamless air travel. The Government of Canada is proud to be working with the Kingdom of the Netherlands to explore opportunities for demonstrating the potential of digital identity systems to engender trust and cooperation between international partners. 

The launch of the Known Traveller Digital Identity prototype is the first step in an ambitious roadmap for public and private sector leaders to start small and scale fast to radically transform the border-crossing experience for the majority of legitimate travellers. By 2030, international air arrivals are expected to reach 1.8 billion passengers, a 50% increase from the 1.2 billion arrivals recorded in 2016. 

According to a new report by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Accenture, to accommodate this growth the public and private sectors will need to address infrastructure, human resource, and procedural constraints, while at the same time maintaining national and international security standards.  This requires an integrated and trusted approach between governments and the private sector underpinned by emerging technologies and innovations.

"Innovation is key to enhancing global competitiveness, mobility and productivity. Leveraging new technological advancements can support risk-based approaches to public safety and security, making air travel more efficient while improving the travel experience" says Canada's Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.

The Known Traveller concept is founded on the principle that an individual traveller has control over the use of their own identity and its components. Due to this decentralization of control over the components of their identity, a traveller can push proof of their identity information ? secured by distributed ledger technology and cryptography ? to governmental and private-sector entities throughout their journey.

"With travellers providing access to verified personal biometric, biographic and historical travel data at their discretion, they can assist authorities to undertake risk assessments and pre-screening in advance: essentially verifying their identities and providing secure and seamless movement throughout their journey using biometric recognition technology" says John Moavenzadeh, Head of Mobility System Initiative at the World Economic Forum. "Not only does this provide for greater personalisation and passenger-centricity in the design of services, but the passenger becomes a central actor in ensuring public safety".  

"The use of distributed ledger technology can foster an unprecedented level of trust between governments, businesses and travel providers that becomes stronger over time as more interactions take place across the travel ecosystem," said Liselotte de Maar, Managing Director in Accenture's Travel practice. "The KTDI concept removes friction from travelling while ensuring greater security at each touchpoint, from hotel check-in to border control. By enabling travellers to share their validated identity information through the KTDI, it allows receiving organizations the advantage of knowing in advance with whom they will interact".

The prototype and pilot result from two years of thorough cooperation between public and private sector partners in the World Economic Forum's Security in Travel Project. The Known Traveller: Unlocking the potential of digital identity for secure and seamless travel was published in consultation with Accenture, AccorHotels, Amadeus IT Group, AirAsia, Airports Council International (ACI), the Government of Canada, Google, Hilton Worldwide, International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),  International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Marriott International, NEC Corporation, SAP SE, Sedicii, UK National Crime Agency, US Department of Commerce, US Department of Homeland Security, Visa and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The World Economic Forum's 48th Annual Meeting will take place on 23-26 January 2018 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Three thousand leaders from around the world will gather in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, with a commitment to improve the state of the world.

The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting brings together governments, international organizations, business, civil society, cultural leaders, media, foremost experts and the young generation from all over the world, at the highest level and in representative ways. For further information, please click here.

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SOURCE Accenture