SIA responds to lawmaker demands to halt facial recognition technology at TSA checkpoints
The Security Industry Association issued a statement Friday in response to several U.S. Senators calling for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to halt the use of facial recognition technology at screening checkpoints.
The association is urging the TSA to reject the demands, “because in this case, facial recognition provides enhanced security, accuracy and convenience for travelers without impacting existing privacy rights or expectations.”
SIA also believes the demand is based on “mischaracterizations,” by the senators, despite what SIA describes as “clear information” provided by TSA on how the technology is used.
The Feb. 9 letter to the TSA was penned by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley, Cory Booker, Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, who noted that biometric screening was being tested and used by the TSA at 16 domestic major airports, including those in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles, and use of the technology may expand this year.
“Increasing biometric surveillance of Americans by the government represents a risk to civil liberties and privacy rights,” the senators wrote to TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Thousands of people daily are encountering a decision to travel or safeguard their privacy- a decision that threatens our democracy.”
The senators complained that while TSA claims that facial identification scans are not mandatory, it is unclear how travelers will know that they can opt out, and what the consequences are for travelers if they choose to opt-out.
“In order for facial recognition identification scans to truly be completely optional, TSA agents must inform passengers of their rights, and there must be clearly visible signage notifying passengers of their ability to proceed without a facial identification scan,” the letter says.
The senators also claimed facial recognition is “likely to exacerbate racial discrimination,” citing a 2019 study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The NIST tested 18 million photos of over 8 million people and found that Asian and African American people were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white men by facial recognition technology, the senators say.
Concerns about the safety and security of Americans’ biometric data “in the hands of authorized private corporations or unauthorized bad actors” was another concern senators raised, noting Department of Homeland Security’s photos of travelers that were stolen in 2019 during a data breach.
The senators asked the TSA to “immediately halt its deployment” of the technology and respond to a list of questions about the concerns in the letter.
SIA says facial recognition actually “provides enhanced security, accuracy and convenience for travelers without impacting existing privacy rights or expectations.
“Air travelers must already present valid ID at security checkpoints, which is subject to inspection for authenticity and checks against flight information. Additionally, TSA personnel compare the photo on each ID with the person presenting it for visual verification that they match.
“If one chooses to opt in to this completely voluntary biometric program, this additional step is automated at a kiosk. No personal passenger or identity information is retained. The technology is not used to “identify” or potentially “misidentify” a person – it simply verifies whether (or not) the photo of a person enrolled in the program matches their photo taken at the kiosk. Follow-up visual inspection by TSA personnel can address any issues that arise with the automated process.”
The SIA also pointed to public opinion research on facial recognition to date, which found nearly 70% of Americans support use of facial recognition for TSA screening.
Additionally, the association disputes claims about the accuracy of the technology across demographic groups, stating the U.S. government is seeking to leverage the “highest-performing technology available on the market, which, contrary to some claims, is highly accurate overall and across demographic groups.”
For example, the top 20 facial recognition algorithms are over 99.7% accurate in matching across white, Black, male and female demographics, according to recent test data from the NIST, the SIA notes.
“Congressional oversight is critical to ensuring accountability from federal agencies and programs,” the association says. “We believe members of Congress should carefully and thoroughly consider the specific, limited and beneficial role of biometrics in air traveler security as they carry out this important duty.”
John Dobberstein is managing editor of SecurityInfoWatch.com and oversees all content creation for the website. Dobberstein continues a 34-year decorated journalism career that has included stops at a variety of newspapers and B2B magazines.
