TSA’s face scan could leave the United States of America in a “surveillance of state.” Two state Senators have expressed their concern over the procedure that the TSA uses to verify travellers’ identities.
The Transportation Security Administration currently uses facial recognition in more than 84 airports nationwide. The government is implementing the face scan procedure in more and more airports over time. Using the facial recognition technology to verify passengers’ identities is proving to be much more efficient than the manual check.
Flyers are required to step in front of a machine that checks if the face matches the one on their ID. What many people don’t know is that they have the option to ask for a manual check done as an alternative. All one has to do is request one by approaching a TSA agent.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and John Neely Kennedy, who is the senator of Louisiana, have spoken against the technology. Both politicians believe that a bipartisan bill that would make manual identity checks the default needs to be passed. Passing of the bill would also limit the TSA’s ability to use the facial recognition technology.
Which brings us to the main concern, the Oregon Senator expressed his skepticism over the government misusing the facial recognition technology. The Democrat referenced what the Chinese government did to the Uyghur minority as an example.
As we face another busy travel season, let’s say no to the @TSA tracking us through facial recognition. pic.twitter.com/sgCkP2gGuo
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) November 29, 2023
In an interview with the Washington Post, the senator noted how the technology is “incredibly powerful.” Merkley went on to point out how it could be used as an “instrument of oppression.” He added that he technology has been used previously “around the world to track dissidents whose opinion governments don’t like.”
Merkley also added how the procedure creates a constant “surveillance state.” The Democrat explains how this poses a threat to the “freedom and privacy” of American citizens. “I don’t think we should trust any government with that power,” he warned.
John Kennedy also expressed his disapproval of the technology while noting that it is an invasion of privacy. “The TSA subjects countless law-abiding Americans to excessive facial recognition screenings as they travel,” the Senator shared. He pointed out how the TSA isn’t making it clear to citizens that they have an option to opt out of the facial scan.
Not sure who needs to hear this but the TSA is about to roll out facial recognition cameras in over 430 airports around the country and every passenger flying in the US has a right to opt out of having their photo taken.
Biometrics do not make us safer. Do not comply! pic.twitter.com/Ly4Wz6HeD6
— Jason Bassler (@JasonBassler1) July 24, 2024
“The Traveler Privacy Protection Act would protect Americans’ ability to say ‘no’ to these facial scans and safeguard the personal data that the TSA collects,” the Louisiana senator shared.
If the bill that the two senators are proposing gets passed, it will limit the government’s ability to use the data. The bill would be a way to ensure that the government uses the technology only for identity verification and nothing else. The facial scanning process started in 2021 as a part of the TSA’s trusted traveler program.
