US Senators Ask CBP to Be More Transparent With Americans

A pair of US Senators are asking Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be more transparent about their use of facial recognition technology. The organization’s Simplified Arrival program uses facial recognition to match travelers to their identity documents at air, sea, and land borders all over the country.

The problem, according to Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), is that US citizens have not been adequately informed of their rights at those border checkpoints. While the biometric screening process is mandatory for foreign nationals, US citizens are able to opt out of the facial recognition process. Those who do will be asked to present their passports and other travel documents for a more traditional manual inspection with a CBP agent.

Merkley and Blunt want to make sure that US citizens are aware of that right while they are trying to re-enter the country. As it stands, CBP has detailed its biometric and data storage policies in its press releases about the Simplified Arrival program. However, most people don’t read press releases, which is why Merkley and Blunt want CBP to do a better job of informing people at the actual point of contact.

To that end, the two senators have sent a letter to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus to ask for more information about the agency’s biometric program. In that regard, they specifically want Magnus to detail the steps that CBP will take to educate the public about its screening and data protection policies, and how it will ensure that those who exercise their right to opt out do not experience more delays or face additional scrutiny as a result of that decision.

“While it is now common for American citizens to be told their photo will be taken in order to proceed through the customs process, countless Americans are not adequately informed about their ability to opt out of this step,” write Merkley and Blunt. “Every U.S. citizen should have the opportunity to make an informed decision whether to have their passport photo manually verified by a CBP officer instead of having their biometric data collected and stored in a manner with which they are not familiar.”

The ACLU has filed a Freedom of Information request to try to find out more about CBP’s biometric screening program. The Biden administration also abandoned a Trump-era policy proposal that would have given DHS more authority to collect biometric data from US citizens.

Source: Homeland Preparedness News

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January 14, 2022 – by Eric Weiss