Ryanair's use of facial recognition face legal challenge

Digital rights group NOYB, led by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, has lodged a complaint against Ryanair, accusing the airline of violating customers' data protection rights. 

The complaint argues that Ryanair's use of facial recognition to verify customer identities when booking through online travel agents is not compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

The complaint was filed with Spain's data protection agency on behalf of a customer who booked a Ryanair flight through the online travel agency eDreams ODIGEO. 

Ryanair has defended its practices, stating that they are fully compliant with GDPR regulations and necessary for safety and security reasons. Passengers have the option to avoid facial recognition by arriving at the airport early or by submitting their passport/national ID card details in advance, but this process can take up to seven days. 

NOYB has a track record of successful privacy challenges against major companies across the EU.

- CyberBeat