You told Uber and Lyft who you are so you can get an easy ride to the airport.
You let a stranger scan your fingerprints to get your TSA Pre-Check so you can save time at airport security.
And now, are you willing to have your face scanned so you can "self-board" on your next international flight?
How much privacy will you give up for the sake of convenience?
Lufthansa tested that out this week, for the first time, as passengers on a flight leaving LAX stepped up to the self-check gate and had their faces scanned instead of showing documents.
Conde Nast Traveler did a write-up on it and how convenient it is:
"Within seconds, facial scans are sent in real-time to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for verification, and if all goes as planned, a passenger is recognized as 'boarded' and can proceed down the jet bridge. Following the trial, the airline says it will roll out biometric boarding at other airports around the country. So long, pesky boarding passes!"
Apparently, self-boarding was a popular choice. Conde Nast says the airline boarded 350 passengers in 20 minutes because it was using biometrics as a boarding pass for so many travelers.
Other airlines are testing this out as well, and the practice is expected to grow.
I can't imagine ever being willing to do this. Then again, that's what I said about TSA Pre-Check.
I did not want to give my fingerprint scans to a database because what happens when a hacker steals those prints?
However, I finally gave in earlier this year. I was tired of the rest of the SecureWorld team breezing past me on flights to and from our U.S. cybersecurity conferences while I waited in the "mother of all lines." Again.
So how will you fly as this technology takes hold? Will you try to protect your privacy, or choose convenience instead?