EPIC - Senators Urge DHS to Address Concerns Over Facial Recognition at Airports; Conduct Public Rule-Making

Airport security biometrics body scanners DHS Facial Recognition foia

Senators Urge DHS to Address Concerns Over Facial Recognition at Airports; Conduct Public Rule-Making

In a letter to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson, Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) urged the agency to promptly conduct a public rulemaking on the agency's biometric exit program prior to any expansion of the program. The program, currently implemented in nine U.S. airports, requires travelers on departing international flights to submit to facial recognition identification. The Senators requested that DHS determine the accuracy of the technique and the procedures for collecting passenger data. EPIC is currently pursuing documents about the biometric exit program, but documents EPIC obtained about a related program that tested iris and facial recognition scanning at the border revealed that the technology did not perform operational matching at a "satisfactory" level. An earlier EPIC lawsuit against the DHS led to the removal of backscatter x-ray devices — "body scanners" — at US airports.

May 11, 2018| Share: