People visiting the largely empty Universal Studios Singapore, as tourism takes a decline following the coronavirus outbreak. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — Reuters
SINGAPORE: Visitors to Universal Studios in Singapore will now have to pass through facial recognition scanners to enter the park, in the city-state’s latest foray with a technology that has stoked privacy concerns.
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which owns the sprawling area of tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants in which the park sits, said the scheme which started this month would help smooth access for guests.
"Facial recognition provides contactless verification of tickets and ticket holders, enabling our customers to enjoy our park experience in a more efficient and seamless manner," RWS said in an emailed statement.
Usage of facial recognition technology – which allows firms or authorities to match people picked up on cameras with those on databases – has risen globally in recent years, stirring worries about surveillance and how data collected will be used.
Digitally-connected Singapore has embarked on many projects that use the technology, including an ambitious scheme to put cameras on lamp-posts linked to facial recognition software.
Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image.
Facial recognition is an "essential" part of admission and is used for "operational improvement, safety and security", according to RWS, which last month axed staff as the Covid-19 pandemic batters Singapore’s tourism industry.
RWS said it had implemented stringent security measures to safeguard guest information such as storing it on encrypted servers. It declined comment on which company was providing the facial recognition technology.
China’s Universal Studios theme park due to open in Beijing next year also plans to use facial recognition technology, according to media reports. – Reuters
People visiting the largely empty Universal Studios Singapore, as tourism takes a decline following the coronavirus outbreak. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — Reuters
A view of Universal Studios Singapore on Sentosa Island. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — Reuters
Auxiliary police (white) and social distancing ambassadors stand near a sign relating to the Universal Studios Singapore theme park in Singapore on July 3, 2020, as the attraction reopened after being temporarily closed due to concerns about the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. — AFP
A staff member waits for visitors to the Universal Studios Singapore theme park on the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore on July 3, 2020, as the attraction reopened after being temporarily closed due to concerns about the Covid-19 novel coronavirus. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — AFP
Visitors pose for a selfie with people dressed up as Minion characters at the Universal Studios Singapore theme park on the resort island of Sentosa. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — AFP
Visitors walk past a sign for the Universal Studios Singapore theme park on the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore. Annual and season ticket holders of Singapore’s Universal Studios no longer need physical passes, while guests using day passes will still need tickets for entry but can then exit and re-enter just using their facial image. — AFP
Did you find this article insightful?
100% readers found this article insightful
