TSA Tests Facial Recognition Tech at Las Vegas Airport

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is launching a new facial recognition trial at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The opt-in system is available only to TSA PreCheck passengers, and utilizes Credential Authentication Technology to compare a photo of a person’s ID to a live photo of the person carrying it.

According to the TSA, the data captured with the CTA devices will be deleted after 180 days, although the information will be shared with the Department of Homeland Security for analysis. Participating passengers will still have their documents checked manually by a TSA security agent, even if the system positively verifies their identity.

Despite those caveats, the trial has faced criticism from privacy watchdogs like the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the latter of which raised concerns about the TSA’s expanding biometric program back in December. Both organizations worry that the system could lead to more intrusive police surveillance, especially if the TSA’s information is shared with law enforcement agencies.

The Las Vegas trial will run for 30 days. The TSA has previously conducted biometric boarding trials in Atlanta and Los Angeles, and has consistently worked to enroll a greater number of travelers, airports, and airlines in the TSA PreCheck program.  

Sources: Axios, Gizmodo

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August 29, 2019 – by Eric Weiss

Like all biometrics solutions, face recognition technology measures and matches the unique characteristics for the purposes of identification or authentication. Often leveraging a digital or connected camera, facial recognition software can detect faces in images, quantify their features, and then match them against stored templates in a database.

Face scanning biometric tech is incredibly versatile and this is reflected in its wide range of potential applications. Learn more on FindBiometrics’ Facial Recognition page.