Govt are testing refined algorithms amid privacy concerns

NEW DELHI: India’s aviation security regulator is collecting data from ongoing trials of full-body scanners at Bengaluru and Cochin airports before deciding on their wider deployment, with the technology’s algorithms also being refined to account for objects commonly worn by passengers in India.Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Director General Rajesh Nirwan told reporters on Thursday that full-body scanners have been mandated at eight airports, while trials are currently being conducted at Bengaluru and Cochin. Authorities are collecting data from the trials, including the number of alarms generated, which will be assessed before a decision is taken on introducing the scanners at airports.However, Cochin is not among the eight airports where the scanners have been mandated.The deployment of full-body scanners has been delayed for years, partly due to concerns over passenger privacy. Nirwan said newer scanners are being made “image agnostic”, meaning they do not produce an actual image of the passenger but instead display a model and identify the specific part of the body where a suspicious object may have been detected, reported PTI.BCAS is also working with scanner vendors and original equipment manufacturers to refine the technology for Indian conditions, including concerns that jewellery and other commonly worn items could trigger alarms.“What we are getting today in India is based on algorithms that have been designed for foreign markets. There are certain typical things that are on the body of Indian citizens or people living in India. So, those algorithms are also being continuously refined,” Nirwan said.The data collected during the ongoing trials will be used to further refine the algorithms, he added.Meanwhile, the officials also addressed the recent Flydubai cockpit attack in which Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was injured, saying Indian aviation authorities are examining the incident and will hold internal deliberations on whether any aviation security advisory is required.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the matter was under examination and any decision on an advisory would be taken after internal discussions. “… in case some advisory is to be issued, obviously we will put it up to the higher authorities for taking a decision on that,” Sinha said.The comments came a day after Flydubai flight FZ1073, flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an altercation in the cockpit. Indian captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured while trying to tackle his co-pilot, and the aircraft later landed safely at Tabuk.