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What will be used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to identify certain attendees?

Answer: Facial recognition tech.

It will be the first time the technology has formally been used at the games.

In a press release this week, the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced that facial recognition checkpoints will be used as an extra security feature at venue entrances for certain attendees. Among those who can expect to be scanned are athletes, staff, media and volunteers.

When the attendee’s ID card and face are scanned, the system will check that against a previously uploaded photo in order to verify their identity. There will still be full security staff at all venues, the facial scanners are intended as an extra security feature that should make the entry process quicker and easier.

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.