The apps that put public services in citizens’ pockets

IF LANDING in soggy Britain after a holiday in the sun is not enough to sap the soul, spending an hour queuing at border control does the trick. Eyn, a British startup, hopes to speed things up with a phone app. Passengers use the app to take a picture of their passport, then scan the chip which contains their facial biometrics. Finally, they take a selfie, to ensure the two faces align. Tapping their phone on electronic gates at the airport is then all that’s required. Eyn reckons such gates might not even be needed, if sensors prove capable of reading passengers’ faces instead. The firm is in talks to test its technology at the border.

Govtech, or digital technology to improve public services, is a relatively new field in which Britain is busy. The amount of venture capital invested in govtech projects in Britain is on a par with that in the rest of Europe combined, according to PwC, a consultancy. Investment in the industry could grow from £6.6bn ($9.2bn) last year to £20bn by 2025, believes Public, which finances govtech startups, including Eyn.