Originally Posted by
1Aturnleft
Same situation here. Most other countries use the <<<<>>>>> info on your passport page to identify you whereas UKBF e-gates go by the embedded microchip as primary ID method for GBR passports. I'd go as far to suggest anyone unable to use the 'technology' because UK Border doesn't allow you do so due to their own inabilities is getting poor value for their GBR passport. If I was woke enough or could to be bothered to pursue it, I'd even go as far as to suggest its a form of discrimination and I'd be looking for money back on the costs involved to have the document. Having everything pitched towards e-gates in order to make the process quicker and that are effectively out of bounds because UKBF lack of ability abilities identify me successfully electronically makes the cost of holding a GBR passport poor value for money.
No, that's totally incorrect. The eGate reader looks at the biodata page with the MRZ and reads that and uses that to provide the person's details. That's the primary method for passport reading in the UK (and around the world) for eGates and manual readers.
It also reads the chip, looks at the ultraviolet image and a few other checks. It takes the photo from the chip as that's a more accurate picture than the photo on the biodata page which is only a low res digital image, to use for facial recognition. Again this is pretty much universal around the world with most countries using the chip for facial recognition. Some have fingerprints stored on there as well.
If the reader didn't use the MRZ and just used the chip then there would be no need to insert the passport in the method directed, since the chip is in the front cover.
I'm struggling to see how it could be discrimination. And the cost of a UK passport is not 100% based around the ability to identify someone electronically. It's a document that provides nationality data for the individual that enables that person to be able to travel to other countries using that document.