Singapore plans to launch country-wide facial recognition system

The government of Singapore is preparing to transition to a facial recognition program it hopes will eliminate the need for ID cards by 2022. Beginning in June, kiosks fitted with cameras will be installed at a limited number of government agencies, and instead of presenting an ID card citizens will be able to check in for services with just their faces. The facial recognition system is a major expansion of the Smart Nation Initiative, which began in 2014 under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and through which the state has built up a biometric database on more than four million Singaporeans over the age of 15.