The TSA has been planning to implement facial recognition technology for screening passengers for a while now. The TSA first used this tech at the Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in 2020 to screen passengers during COVID-19. However, the full-scale testing only started after late 2022, with operations at 16 major airports. Now that the technology has matured, TSA’s facial recognition scanners have been deployed at 84 airports across the U.S., with plans to expand to 400 federalized airports in the future.
Advertisement
The technology works by scanning your ID and matching your face to the ID photo. To do so, you first place your ID in the Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) scanner and look into the camera for a few seconds. The CAT-2 scanner then compares the ID images with the real-time photo and subsequently accepts or rejects the passenger. The CAT-2 scanners also accept digital IDs in addition to conventional ones, including mobile driver’s licenses.
The need for TSA’s facial recognition
Airports have been functioning well for the most part without using facial recognition, raising the question of whether facial recognition technology is at all needed. While that is true, airports have been seeing an increasing number of flyers over time. According to a report by the Commission on Seamless and Secure Air Travel, the TSA screened a whopping 3.1 million people in a day on December 1, 2024 – making it the highest ever on a single day. The report also states that the current airport infrastructure needs urgent reforms to safely screen such large passenger counts.
Advertisement
If you’ve flown through crowded airports such as JFK or Orlando International, you must know how excruciatingly long the TSA lines can be. While airports like JFK have been doing their part in integrating safer technology like 3D CT scanners for threat detection, long queues are still a daunting issue. For these reasons, the TSA wants to implement facial recognition technology, as it helps TSOs screen a larger number of passengers while maintaining optimal accuracy. That said, facial recognition technology does not affect the baggage checks and frisking lines. TSOs will thoroughly scan you and your baggage to check for illegal objects like banned electronics and more.
Can you opt-out of TSA’s facial recognition?
The TSA currently claims to delete the ID credentials and the real-time images once a positive screening has been performed. However, it also states the TSA might store these images in “limited testing environments for evaluation.” Security concerns over the handling of these images and the possibility of hacking the CAT-2 devices might raise eyebrows about using facial recognition technology. You are not alone in thinking so, as there have been attempts to limit the use of facial recognition for its privacy concerns in 2024.
Advertisement
The TSA allows passengers to opt out of facial screening and claims they won’t be discriminated against even if they opt for manual screening. Moreover, the TSA claims passengers won’t lose their place in the queue and should not face delays. To opt-out, simply ask the TSO for manual screening, and that should be it. That said, a similar free-to-opt-out policy existed for body scanners at U.S. airports previously, but the TSA can now force you to go through body scanners.
The decision to opt-out ultimately depends on which side of the story you want to believe. If you trust the narrative, opting in is just another way to make airports more bearable for yourself and others with shorter queues. Otherwise, you can opt-out and save yourself from possible privacy and security concerns.
Advertisement
This post was originally published on here
