A bipartisan group of senators is pushing to stop the expansion of facial recognition technology in U.S. airports and restrict its use under the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that is under consideration in Congress.
Citing privacy concerns, Senators Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, and John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, propose blocking the technology’s expansion until 2027 and demand that the Transportation Security Administration clarify that passengers can unregister at the airports where it is located. used.
With a Friday deadline to renew the aviation law, the proposal is among the amendments likely to be voted on before the bill can be passed into law. That pits privacy advocates from both parties against consumer and industry groups who argue the technology has the potential to dramatically reduce airport wait times and increase convenience and security.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to expand facial recognition technology to more than 430 airports, up from 25, as part of an effort to speed up the check-in process. Using iPad-equipped kiosks, passengers have their photo taken and matched to an image from a government database instead of presenting a physical ID card.
Mr. Merkley said he became concerned about the technology after encountering it at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC. Even though the facial scanner is optional, many passengers feel obligated to comply, he said.
The senator often emphasizes his right to refuse the facial scan, but he said some airport security officers have pushed back. Until recently, he said, there was no sign clearly stating that passengers are not required to have their faces scanned at security checkpoints.
“Because I made a big deal out of it, they put a little postcard that says it’s optional, but what you actually see is an iPad that says, ‘Follow the instructions’ or ‘ Follow orders,’” Mr. Merkley said. “People just don’t believe they have that option.” They are afraid of being arrested. “People are nervous.”
The US Travel Association is sounding the alarm about the amendment, arguing that it would create a “serious and worrying scenario for travelers.”
Geoff Freeman, the association’s president and CEO, said the proposal to crack down on facial recognition technology at airports was “dangerous, costly and threatens to create chaos at U.S. airports.”
“Eliminating the use of biometrics – like facial scanners – will set America back decades,” he said, “and only poorly informed members of Congress are to blame.” »
If facial recognition software is not developed, the travel lobby says, passengers will end up waiting an additional 120 million hours in security lines each year. The US Travel Association also says failure to use this technology could result in national security risks.
Mr. Merkley rejected the criticism, stressing that his amendment would only preserve the status quo.
“How does this create a delay? We’re just freezing in place what’s there right now,” he said. “We think this is an important issue for Congress to address.”
Mr. Merkley, who as an Oregon state lawmaker sought to limit the use of red light cameras and cellphone tracking, said the focus on facial recognition in airports stemmed from a number of civil liberties concerns. No American should be forced to have their photo taken without their consent, he said, adding that he worries the government is building an ever-growing database of American faces that could be misused . He also argued that the technology was inaccurate and had unacceptable error rates.
“I come from rural Oregon, so I’ve always had some concern that the government is too big on tracking individuals,” Mr. Merkley said.
Mr. Merkley and Mr. Kennedy were among 14 senators who recently sent a letter to Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and majority leader, expressing their concerns.
“This technology poses significant threats to our privacy and civil liberties, and Congress should prohibit the development and deployment of facial recognition tools by the TSA until there is robust congressional oversight.” , says the letter. It was signed by a mix of lawmakers from both parties, including some prominent liberals and Republicans known for their work on civil liberties issues.
Mr. Schumer included the amendment on a list of proposals that would need to be voted on before the bill passes, but he did not take a position on it.
Mr Kennedy said he was particularly concerned that officials could potentially misuse the data after scanning millions of faces every day. “Unless Congress puts the brakes on this program through our amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill, I fear bureaucrats will begin seizing and hoarding the biometric data of millions of travelers without explicit authorization,” he said. -he declared in a press release.
Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of the progressive group Public Citizen, pushed for the amendment.
“They’re pitching this as something that makes travel safer or more efficient, but there’s actually no data or evidence of that,” she said. “And there are real consequences for travelers’ privacy and how their data is used.”
