(PatriotsUnited.org) – The United States government agency responsible for airport security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), have sparked backlash after announcing plans to roll out facial recognition technology in over 400 of the US’ approximately 5000 public airports.
Unsurprisingly, the agency is positing the decision as a positive one, arguing that it will cut security times at airports, by using CAT-2 machines to profile people’s faces. These units will cross-referenced with the relevant photo ID to verify identity. The machines will also allow travelers to use digital driver licenses as IDs.
The TSA already had 600 CAT-2 units operating across some 50 US airports. However, its plans to rapidly expand its FRT provisions to 400 transit hubs are unlikely to be actualized until between 2030 and 2020, a spokesperson for the agency admitted. For security reasons, TSA will not publicly state which airports it already uses FRT at, or which airports it has as targets for its expansion plans.
A slew of progressive lawmakers including Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, have complained that the program could infringe on travelers; privacy rights, have collectively backed the Traveler Privacy Protection Act as an attempt to fence in the TSA’s plans, which they claim may be a precursor to national surveillance. New York City council members have also planned a bill that would prohibit private businesses from employing FRT and would restrict the collection of facial biometric data by the TSA.
The TSA has stressed that automated ID checks are voluntary, and any data used for passenger screening will not be shared beyond that process.
The use of facial recognition raises major privacy concerns, along with worries over mass surveillance by the government or corporations. The technology has been rolled out extensively by private businesses, especially shops, seeking to deter theft. However, it has also been associated with authoritarian regimes such as that of the Chinese Communist Party, which uses FRT to racially profile citizens, including the Uyghur Muslim population it is accused of perpetrating genocide against.
Copyright 2024, PatriotsUnited.org