Does this mean there will be fewer bad teeth jokes?

Australian's haven't been allowed to smile on passport photos for a while now. But we can still have a messy haircut.

now if they can only force them to bathe...

Wait, aren't the french allowed to stick out their tongues?

But can they stick their tongues out, or do they have to go to Germany for that?

Australian's haven't been allowed to smile on passport photos for a while now.

AAARGH!!!

What about the jester?! Can he still smile?

even the slightest flash of teeth could pose a problem for the equipment

cultural stereotyping...

Canada instituted the same rule a while back.

Whoops, my bad. And I'm usually quite the grammar nazi as well. Doh.

Oh God Red Donkey, I hope not. The world needs Limey bad teeth jokes.

*even the slightest flash of teeth could pose a problem for the equipment*

Impossible! Stained teeth cannot "flash"!

/still, this has to be one of the stupidest 'rules' I've ever heard of...

Didn't you know that smiling makes you look suspicious? I mean, WTF can you really be happy about, standing in line for hours waiting to get your picture taken for the photo, standing in line for hours to get through security, standing in line for hours waiting to get on the plane, sitting on your ass in coach for hours all cramped up, standing in line to get you luggage from baggage claim and then finally standing in line to go through customs. Now, the picture is supposed to reflect your image, and I can assure you that after the above described ordeal, you definitely won't be smiling.

/um, yeah...

IF YA DUNT EAT YERR MEAT, YA CAN'T HAVE ANY PUDDIN!!

And what the hell happened to fingerprints? Jesus, can we not use new technology until we've at least advanced it enough to be used without making dumb laws like this? Is this really that much more secure that we would trade in a less expensive, mostly reliable, but older system that didn't inconvenience users that used it? Someone explain this to me.

They are going to be using face recognition software at borders. The software is most accurate if people don't smile.

Thumbs up for the headline.

We've been havin' this in Canada for years now. Now everyone's passport photo makes them look like a terrorist. It doesn't help.

I understand that we live in a new scared world but it still strikes me as sad.

I can't believe this was submitted with a "Stupid" tag. If a straight face on passports in necessary to support face recognition software to make us safer, I'm all for it. However, I do acknowledge the scary aspects of possible misuse of the technology. Big Brother's already pretty well established in the UK anyway, though.

This does not deserve the "stupid" tage. I think it's great new technology.

All passports issued from today must show the bearer "looking straight at the camera, with a neutral expression, with their mouth closed".

I read this, then noticed the image in the sidebar.

Earlier this year the Canadian cable channel The Movie Network had an ad compaign for "people who love movies".

One of them was a billboard that looked like a driver's licence. The guy in the photo was doing Dr. Evil's pinky-to-the-lips pose.

That would be such a good passport photo.

Britons smile? I demand proof. Pictoral proof. With boobies, preferably.

fark.

Next thing ya know, they'll tell me Scots drink. Hogwash. HOGWASH, I say.

/cracks open a Guinness
//yeah, I know it's Irish.

This is the third story involving Britons.

What that called? A triglyceride?

New technology that uses digital images and matches them to your face, to see if your passport is real? What could go wrong?

Oh, Luvvly Jubberly

Not much worse of a rag than "This is London".

This article made me smile.

Sooo..what we're saying here is that the terrorists should grin wildly, maybe even make a funny face if they wish to pass through security?

"Officer, arrest that man! He was making a fish-face when he walked throught the metal detector!"

what? no Big Book of British Smiles?

BunnyMan_Bob
This is all that's out there. All I could find.

that sucks, but thanks for looking, thats not even the right person holding the book.

OK... so, no "flashing" teeth. How about red eyes, like, stoned eyes. Is that still OK?

BunnyMan_Bob
...No that isn't! I didn't even notice that.

The strict rule will end the tradition of cheesy grins and silly expressions on passport snaps.

This is a big problem in the UK? Now I don't feel so bad about silly behavior of many Americans.

****must.....not.....make....limey joke....promised.....temptation too....great.....******

/love ya IWOULDHITIT

Since someone brought up the "bad teeth" subject. Why is it that the british don't go to the dentist twice a year?? As far as I know, that's the norm for Americans.

"Hi-tech equipment at airports will scan the faces of travellers entering Britain and match them with the information on their passports. The highly sensitive machines operate by matching key points on the face, which means individuals must have their lips tightly together in their photo."

Hi-tech, my ass.

Replace "highly sensitive" with "poorly designed."

Ang6666

We do. Don't get the stereotype, seen as many bad teeth in Americans as over here. And bad personal hygeine.

At least that should stop those damned photographers trying to get people to smile with dumbass jokes...

Don't want no damned terrorists coming over here smiling on their false passports. I feel much safer now.

so if we dont want some high tech terror scanner detecting us evil terrorists all we have to do is smile when in the aiport?

/not a terrorist
//a skeptical cynic who thinks biometrics is fraud to keep high tech companies in business.

Really? The machine is better at detecting points on a close-lip smile (which look mostly the same) than a toothy grin, where everyone has different teeth (ESPECIALLY the brits), and there could be zillions of combinations of "points" to pick out?

okayyy....

That's some damn fine British hair.

Bukharin

Shadiyam!