Domestic Affairs
The TSA is Using Controversial Facial Recognition Technology to Screen Passengers – Is Your Privacy at Risk?
The government now has a database of our faces that they can access and use without our knowledge or consent. That should make everyone uncomfortable.
Time to read: 3 mins
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been quietly testing controversial facial recognition technology for passenger screening at 16 major domestic airports. The kiosks with cameras are doing a job that used to be completed by humans: checking the photos on travelers’ IDs to make sure they’re not impostors. The TSA plans to expand the use of this technology across the United States as soon as next year. This raises serious privacy concerns for many Americans. What does this mean for our privacy and safety? Let’s take a closer look.
Facial Recognition Technology and Your Privacy
Facial recognition technology uses artificial intelligence to identify people by their physical characteristics. The TSA’s use of this technology is particularly controversial because it captures images of passengers and stores those images in a government database. In other words, the government now has a database of our faces that they can access and use without our knowledge or consent. That should make everyone uncomfortable.
Furthermore, facial recognition technology is not foolproof. In 2018, the ACLU tested Amazon’s facial recognition system, Rekognition, and found that it incorrectly identified 26 members of Congress as criminals. If this technology can’t accurately identify our elected officials, how can we trust it to accurately identify everyday citizens? We can’t.
The Bottom Line: Is Your Privacy at Risk?
Yes, your privacy is at risk when the TSA uses facial recognition technology for passenger screening. This technology is inaccurate and captures our images without our consent. We should all be concerned about the government having a database of our faces. If you are planning to travel soon, be aware that your privacy may be at risk.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is using controversial facial recognition technology to screen passengers at airports across the United States. This raises serious privacy concerns for many Americans. The government now has a database of our faces that they can access and use without our knowledge or consent. That should make everyone uncomfortable.
