A bipartisan group of senators is calling for a halt to the expansion of facial recognition technology and limits on its use at U.S. airports as part of a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill moving through Congress.
Citing privacy concerns, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) have blocked expansion of the technology until 2027, when it is introduced. It is proposed that airports require road safety managers to make it clear that passengers can opt out. In use.
The aviation law is due to be updated on Friday, and the proposal is among the amendments likely to be voted on before the bill is passed. Privacy advocates from both parties are at odds with consumer and industry groups who say the technology could significantly reduce wait times at airports and improve convenience and safety.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to expand facial recognition technology from 25 airports to more than 430 as part of an effort to speed up the check-in process. Instead of presenting physical identification, passengers use a kiosk equipped with an iPad to take a photo and have it matched against an image in a government database.
Merkley said he became concerned about the technology after encountering it at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. Although facial scans are voluntary, he says many passengers feel pressured to comply.
The senator has frequently asserted his right to refuse facial scans, but said some airport security personnel had refused. Until recently, he said, there was no signage clearly indicating that passengers were not required to have their faces scanned at security checkpoints.
“I made such a fuss that they put up a little postcard saying this was an option, but what you actually see is an iPad that says ‘Follow directions’ and ‘Follow orders,'” Merkley said. he said. “So people don’t believe they have this option. They’re afraid of getting arrested. People are nervous.”
The U.S. Travel Association is alarmed by the proposed changes, saying they create “serious and troubling scenarios for travelers.”
The association’s president and CEO, Jeff Freeman, said the proposal to crack down on facial recognition technology at airports is “dangerous, costly and could cause disruption at U.S. airports.”
“Eliminating the use of biometrics such as facial scans would set America back decades, and the only people to blame are misinformed members of Congress,” he said.
Travel Lobby says that unless facial recognition software is expanded, passengers will spend an additional 120 million hours waiting in security lines each year. The U.S. Travel Association also says not using the technology could pose a national security risk.
Merkley rejected the criticism, pointing out that the proposed amendment would merely maintain the status quo.
“How does this create a delay? We’re just freezing what’s there right now in place,” he said. “We think this is an important issue for Congress to address.”
Merkley, who tried to curb the use of red-light cameras and cell phone tracking as a state lawmaker in Oregon, said his focus on facial recognition at airports stemmed from a number of civil liberties concerns. He said there was. He said no American should be forced to have their photo taken without their consent and said he was concerned about the ever-growing database of American faces that could be misused by the government. added. He also claimed that the technology was inaccurate and had an unacceptable error rate.
“Being from rural Oregon, I was always a little concerned about the government having too much ability to track individuals,” Merkley said.
Mr. Merkley and Mr. Kennedy were among 14 senators who recently sent a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader, outlining their concerns.
“Because this technology poses serious threats to our privacy and civil liberties, Congress should prohibit TSA from developing and deploying facial recognition tools until there is strict Congressional oversight,” the letter states. ing. The bill was signed by a mix of lawmakers from both parties, including a prominent liberal and a Republican known for his work on civil liberties issues.
Schumer had included the amendment on his list of proposals to vote on before passing the bill, but he has not taken a public position on it.
Kennedy said he was particularly concerned about the potential for government officials to misuse the data after scanning millions of faces every day. “Unless Congress reins in this program through amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill, we fear that bureaucrats will begin seizing and storing the biometrics of millions of travelers without explicit authorization.” he said in a statement.
Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of the progressive group Public Citizen, has been pushing for the amendment.
“They’re touting this as something that’s going to make travel safer or more efficient, but there’s actually no data or evidence to support that,” she says. “And there are real implications for traveler privacy and how that data is used.”
