TSA Defends Use of Facial Recognition – and it is Set to Increase

According to a recent article in Extreme Tech ¹, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has ramped up its biometric identity verification pilot by installing facial recognition systems in more airports. The update has some travellers, legislators, and civil liberties advocates worried about personal privacy, demographic bias, and the consequences of opting out.

The TSA’s experimental facial recognition stations currently screen travellers at airport security checkpoints at 15 different airports across the US. Travellers who agree to use the system begin by scanning their driving licence or passport, then stand in front of a camera as it takes a photo and compares it with the image printed on the document. The purpose of this comparison is twofold: to verify the traveller’s identity and to ensure the identification they’ve provided is legitimate. Before the traveller can proceed, a TSA officer approves or denies the screening.