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Problem gamblers beware; the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.—which critics say hasn’t done enough to keep you out—plans to be up to the challenge this spring. OLG is set to unveil a new facial recognition program at all 27 of its gambling facilities in Ontario, which is being praised as a high roller in privacy protection.

“It’s the most privacy-protected system using biometric encryption in the world,” said Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s privacy commissioner, who approved the new system.

Beginning in May, each person who enters an Ontario casino will have their face digitally scanned by a camera; that image will be run through a database of more than 15,000 people with gambling problems who have voluntarily placed themselves on a banned list.

The system relies on bone structure and specific points on the face, such as the distance between one’s eyes, nose, and mouth. If the computer finds a match, security is notified. If not, the image is discarded, and gamblers may play away.

The privacy component of the new facial recognition system was designed by University of Toronto biometric engineers, led by Professor Kostas Plataniotis.

“Nothing like this exists for facial recognition,” says Karl Martin, one of the developers.

The team created a biometric encryption algorithm that ensures there is no permanent link between a biometric template of a person’s face and their private information.

“If the data is stolen or falls into the wrong hands, it’s essentially useless … a scrambled template,” Martin said.

Follow the link to read the full article on the Toronto Star website, or on the Toronto Sun website or MarketWatch blog.

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