WASHINGTON (AP) – A bipartisan group of senators is seeking to limit the Transportation Security Administration's use of facial recognition technology, citing concerns about the privacy and civil liberties of travelers.
In a letter Thursday, a group of 14 lawmakers urged Senate leaders to use the Federal Aviation Administration's future reauthorization to limit TSA's use of the technology and provide some oversight for Congress.
“This technology poses a serious threat to our privacy and civil liberties, and Congress should prohibit TSA from developing and deploying facial recognition tools until there is strict Congressional oversight.” the lawmakers wrote.
The effort, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (R-Ore.), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), is “proven to improve security effectiveness. “We are focusing on efficiency and the passenger experience,” the TSA said in a statement.
The technology is currently in use at 84 airports across the country and is expected to expand to approximately 430 airports covered by TSA over the next few years.
Reauthorizing the FAA is one of the last pieces of legislation this Congress must pass. The agency regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the country's airspace.
The TSA, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is deploying facial recognition technology at some airports in a pilot project. Travelers insert their driver's license into the card-reading slot or hold their passport photo over the card reader. It then looks at a camera on a screen about the size of an iPad, captures an image, and compares it to the ID. This technology matches the identification documents presented by travelers at the airport and confirms that the identification documents are genuine. A TSA officer will complete the screening.
The agency says the system improves the accuracy of identity verification without slowing down passengers at checkpoints.
Passengers can opt out, but TSA Administrator David Pekoske said last year that more effective and efficient biometrics would eventually become mandatory. He did not reveal his schedule.
Critics have raised questions about how the data is collected, who has access to it and what happens if there is a hack. Privacy advocates are concerned that the algorithm could be biased and say it's not clear enough to passengers that they don't have to comply with facial recognition.
“It is clear that we are at a critical crossroads,” the senators wrote, “and the scope of the government’s use of facial recognition on Americans remains largely unknown in public debate and Congressional oversight.” , or none at all, will expand exponentially under TSA's plan.”
