UK biometric gates keep foreign faces six years (techtimes.com)

Amadeus Seamless Gate® contactless biometric border gates retain facial images of non-British nationals for up to six years under the Home Offices Biometric Information Retention and Usage Policy Version 5.0, versus 30 days for British citizens. East Midlands Airport deployed the first gate on October 6, 2026, with Birmingham next and eleven more airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester scheduled by early 2027. The 1:1 facial comparison system, which UK Border Force says processes passengers up to 25% faster, also authorizes secondary uses including crime prevention, national security checks, and benefit eligibility verification.