The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently testing facial recognition technology at select airports across the country in an effort to improve accuracy of identity verification and speed up security procedures. The pilot program is voluntary and is currently in place at some TSA checkpoints at 16 airports across the United States. The goal of the program is to keep passengers moving through checkpoints smoothly and to improve identity verification. Jason Lim, the identity management capabilities manager, stated that the TSA does not store images and that photos and IDs are deleted.
Critics have raised concerns about questions of bias in facial recognition technology and possible repercussions for passengers who want to opt out. In a letter to the TSA, five senators demanded the agency stop the program, citing concerns over privacy and civil liberties. The TSA, however, claims to take privacy and civil rights concerns seriously and assures that images are not compiled into a database, and confirmed that photos and IDs are deleted. The agency also states that some data is collected and shared with the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, but that this data is deleted after 24 months.
The pilot program is currently in place at 16 airports in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Gulfport-Biloxi and Jackson in Mississippi. The TSA has intercepted more than 1500 firearms at airports in the first three months of 2023. While the TSA claims that the program is accurate, some critics question the accuracy of facial recognition technology and the potential for bias. The TSA states that the program is voluntary and that photos and IDs are deleted.