The Transportation Security Administration are looking to significantly expand usage Facial recognition technology at airport checkpoints and lawmakers are rightfully concerned. A letter signed by a bipartisan group of 14 senators was sent to Senate leadership on Thursday and called for TSA restrictions. Lawmakers claim there is no evidence that the technology is effective and that its implementation would set society on a downward spiral as facial recognition surveillance becomes widespread in all public.
American terminal guarantor is planning to expand the use of facial recognition from 84 to more than 430 airports. This technology is currently used in the screening process when passengers hand over their passports or identification documents to staff. This system ensures that the person whose photo is on the document is the same person at the checkpoint. TSA stated that these photos are not archived. Passengers have the right to refuse having their face photographed.
While participation is optional, lawmakers are concerned that implementing the TSA will condition Americans to consider government-operated facial recognition as normal. If technology is considered normal then Other agencies can easily implement it No questions asked in schools, parks and roads. Lawmakers demand more oversight and scrutiny to force the TSA to prove that facial recognition is actually useful for its stated purpose. The letter sent to the Senate leader reads:
Furthermore, this powerful surveillance technology deployed by the TSA does not make air travel safer. In response to congressional questions, TSA did not present evidence that more fake identification documents have been discovered since it implemented facial recognition. The 3% error rate cited by TSA represents more than 68,000 daily mismatches if used for all 2.3 million daily travelers.
The letter also noted multiple incidents where people were able to bypass airport security and recommended that TSA “focus on the fundamentals.” Earlier this year, a woman simply passed through an empty security checkpoint in Nashville and boarded a flight to Los Angeles without a ticket. TSA should stick to screening bags and not try to be the harbinger of a fully automated surveillance state.
