[Thank G*d it's Friday!] UK Home Office bans smiling

Heres a nice filler for a friday, made me chuckle anyway. Our fine friends over at The Inquirer have spotted an interesting piece of news that could threaten the reputation of Brits abroad everywhere (myself included).

THE HOME OFFICE has ordered British people to stop smiling on their passport photograph in a bid to save the country from a terror attack.

It seems that the British stiff upper-lip is required so that photos can be scanned by digital readers. The reader will compare the photo with the person standing in front of it.

According to guidelines issued for all those who want a passport their photos must be "looking straight at the camera, with a neutral expression, with their mouth closed".

Apparently a cheesy grin will chuck the scanner, which has an allergy to teeth, completely out of wack. Photo booth companies have been forced to update all their machines to ensure that the pictures are acceptable under the new rules. The Home Office said its requirements were in line with new international standards for biometric face-recognition schemes.

News source: The Inquirer

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