No Smiling for Passport Photos in Germany

[question everything]

No Smiling for Passport Photos in Germany

Thu Sep 15,11:47 AM ET

Germans were ordered Thursday to stay serious when having their photographs taken for new passports, wiping away any grins, smirks or smiles so that biometric scanners can pick up their facial features.

Interior Minister Otto Schily ordered passport authorities to only accept pictures taken from the front showing the "most neutral facial expression possible," starting Nov. 1.

Facial recognition systems match key features on the holder's face and work best when the face has a neutral expression with the mouth closed.

(snip)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050915/ap_on_fe_st/germany_smiles_verboten

[Trillo]

1. How much money is this database going to be worth to some

private corporation?

[truthisfreedom]

2. and a very sad-looking database it will be. i'm just not very impressed by

our new mechanized, automated world.

[slackmaster]

3. Sounds like life imitating The Onion

:D

[tabasco]

4. LMAO. Must have been one of those Northern Germans !

The Bavarians would never pass a rule like this!

[northzax]

5. germans smile?

when?

[bluedonkey]

11. Watch it,

Bubba!I resemble that remark!

[northzax]

14. you don't smile?

or is the German smile roughly equivalent to everyone else's "biting into a lemon" look?

[BlueJazz]

6. Alll-Right..You smirking Germans..That Does it!! >>>>>

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

[Gregorian]

7. California has that rule for driver license photos.

Am I wrong about that? I seem to recall that when I last went to the dmv.

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. I'm smiling on my Calif license photo. n/t

[MalibuChloe]

15. I have a big frown from standing in line for 3 hours...

but I think they told me to smile and I refused.

:-)

[Canadian_moderate]

9. Pretty sure it's the same for Canada

I think it has more to do with international standards for passports. Must be really hard for people with certain impairment that make them smile.

[Swede]

13. You are correct.

No smiling Canadian passports for a couple years now.

[Nabia2004]

10. Since when did they let anyone smile?

My first experience was in 2000, had to retake the photo because I was smiling. This was here in the USA.

[rkc3]

16. I revised my US passport last year with a big grin on my face.

No problems for me. Of course, I haven't gone out of the country recently - maybe they won't let me back in.

[question everything]

22. Have been smiling on all my USA passports (on my third now)

Looking older, but smiling

[fedsron2us]

12. Same rules on smiling apply to new UK passports

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4215334.stm

In fact all EU countries have common passport system and will be using the same facial recognition technology so it is going to be the same in France, Italy, the Netherlands etc. If at some future time alien visitors recover the remains of our long lost civilisation they are going to wonder why we all look so glum. Of course, they will not have had to look at the ugly mugs of people like Bush and Blair on TV every night.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. So. All you have to do is keep smiling while commiting mischief.

And the cameras won't be able to identify you.

[Ignoramus]

18. They should say boo behind you before snapping the picture

So you'll look more like you would while committing a crime.

[Generic Other]

19. I don't think I have a neutral expression

And telling me not to giggle is a sure way to prove it.

[Marr]

20. That's like telling the Egyptians to stop building igloos.

[calico1]

21. Oh, God. If they told me not to smile

that would make me want to smile more! Its like being told its wrong to laugh in church!