NFL to Roll Out Facial Recognition Systems at All Stadiums
August 9th, 2024Via: The Record:
The National Football League is the latest organization to turn to facial authentication to bolster event security, according to an announcement this week.
All 32 NFL stadiums will start using the technology this season, after the league signed a contract with a company that uses facial scans to verify the identity of people entering event venues and other secure spaces.
The facial authentication platform, which counts the Cleveland Browns’ owners as investors, will be used to “streamline and secure” entry for thousands of credentialed media, officials, staff and guests so they can easily access restricted areas such as press boxes and locker rooms, Jeff Boehm, the chief operating officer of Wicket, said in a LinkedIn post Monday.
“Credential holders simply take a selfie before they come, and then Wicket verifies their identity and checks their credentials with Accredit (a credentialing platform) as they walk through security checkpoints,” Boehm added.
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Some teams also have extended their use of the technology to scan the faces of ticket holders. The Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and New York Mets all have used the company’s facial authentication software to authenticate fans with tickets, according to Stadium Tech Report.
“Fans come look at the tablet and, instantly, the tablet recognizes the fan,” Brandon Covert, the vice president of information technology for the Cleveland Browns, said in a testimonial appearing on Wicket’s website. “It’s almost a half-second stop. It’s not even a stop — more of a pause.”
“It has greatly reduced the amount of time and friction that comes with entering the stadium,” Covert added. “It’s so much faster.”
