ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part analyses the use of facial recognition in automated border control, a technology that verifies ID through visual analysis of facial traits. It also analyses forms of presence detection in the control of border transgressions by using sonar and haptic technologies that ‘listen’ to and ‘feel’ for presences and hidden persons, as well as different forms of imagery, notably radar and infrared. The part seeks to provide better and more detailed insights into the basic functions of each technology, the different types of encounters and narratives they entail and, as a consequence, some of the fundamental sensory-technological modi operandi of border control. It also seeks to elucidate the daily routines of human-technological decision-making processes, the bases on which they take place, and how they contribute to characterizing the broader border world assemblage.
