Virgin pre-entry screening with machine readable passports
 

One of the uses cited in this thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/010146.html


NEW AIRPORT SCREENING SYSTEM
BEGINS TEST AT LONDON HEATHROW

Virgin Atlantic Airways has been selected to trial a new pre-entry screening system to identify potential immigration and security risks before travel at London Heathrow Airport and Miami International Airport. The technology consists of a document reader that instantly checks passports and other documents against online law enforcement databases. It can detect expired travel documents and certain irregularities within the documents themselves, which may suggest forgery or counterfeiting. The trial began at London Heathrow on April 28 and will rollout at Miami International Airport in mid-May, and will last for three months. The system works by scanning passengers' passports with a computerized document reader, which will either authenticate the travel document or alert the airline to possible forgery or tampering. The document reader also links to law enforcement and immigration databases to cross check against their records. Any matches against the database are dealt with by the law enforcement agency concerned.