TSA testing facial recognition at more airports, raising privacy concerns

TSA debuts new technology at security checkpoints at BWI Airport

BALTIMORE — A passenger walks up to an airport security checkpoint, slips an ID card into a slot and looks into a camera atop a small screen. The screen flashes "Photo Complete" and the person walks through — all without having to hand over their identification to the TSA officer sitting behind the screen.

It's all part of a pilot project by the Transportation Security Administration to assess the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country.

"What we are trying to do with this is aid the officers to actually determine that you are who you say who you are," said Jason Lim, identity management capabilities manager, during a demonstration of the technology to reporters at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The effort comes at a time when the use of various forms of technology to enhance security and streamline procedures is only increasing. TSA says the pilot is voluntary and accurate, but critics have raised concerns about questions of bias in facial recognition technology and possible repercussions for passengers who want to opt out.

Travelers wait in line April 26 at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to use the Transportation Security Administration's new facial recognition in Glen Burnie, Md.

The technology is in 16 airports. In addition to Baltimore, it's being used at Reagan National near Washington, D.C., airports in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Gulfport-Biloxi and Jackson in Mississippi. It's not at every TSA checkpoint so not every traveler going through those airports would necessarily experience it.

Travelers put their driver's license into a slot that reads the card or place their passport photo against a card reader. Then they look at a camera on a screen about the size of an iPad, which captures their image and compares it to their ID. The technology is both checking to make sure the people at the airport match the ID they present and that the identification is in fact real. A TSA officer is still there and signs off on the screening.

A small sign alerts travelers that their photo will be taken as part of the pilot and that they can opt out if they'd like. It also includes a QR code for them to get more information.

A traveler inserts her ID card April 26 while using the Transportation Security Administration's new facial recognition technology at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Glen Burnie, Md.

Since it came out the pilot has been under scrutiny by some elected officials and privacy advocates. In a February letter to TSA, five senators — four Democrats and an Independent who is part of the Democratic caucus — demanded the agency stop the program, saying: "Increasing biometric surveillance of Americans by the government represents a risk to civil liberties and privacy rights."

As various forms of technology that use biometric information like face IDs, retina scans or fingerprint matches have become more pervasive in both the private sector and the federal government, it raised concerns among privacy advocates about how this data is collected, who has access to it and what happens if it gets hacked.

Meg Foster, a justice fellow at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology, said there are concerns about bias within the algorithms of various facial recognition technologies. Some have a harder time recognizing faces of minorities, for example. There's also the concern of outside hackers figuring out ways to hack into government systems for nefarious aims.

Jeramie Scott, with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that while it's voluntary now, it might not be for long. He noted that David Pekoske, who heads TSA, said during a talk in April that eventually the use of biometrics would be required because they're more effective and efficient, though he gave no timeline.

Scott said he'd prefer TSA not use the technology at all. At the least, he'd like to see an outside audit to verify that the technology isn't disproportionally affecting certain groups and that the images are deleted immediately.

TSA says the goal of the pilot is to improve the accuracy of the identity verification without slowing down the speed at which passengers pass through the checkpoints — a key issue for an agency that sees 2.4 million passengers daily. The agency said early results are positive and have shown no discernible difference in the algorithm's ability to recognize passengers based on things like age, gender, race and ethnicity.

A person poses for a photo April 26 while demonstrating the Transportation Security Administration's new facial recognition technology at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Glen Burnie, Md.

Lim said the camera only turns on when a person puts in their ID card — so it's not randomly gathering images of people at the airport. That also gives passengers control over whether they want to use it, he said.

He said research shows that while some algorithms do perform worse with certain demographics, it also shows that higher-quality algorithms, like the one the agency uses, are much more accurate. He said using the best available cameras also is a factor.

"We take these privacy concerns and civil rights concerns very seriously, because we touch so many people every day," he said.

Much to the dismay of British travelers, English Christmas crackers are prohibited by the TSA.

The small, popular party favor is used to celebrate Christmas and other special occasions. When popped, it creates a "bang" sound with the help of a minuscule amount of gunpowder stored inside.

According to the U.S. Transportation Administration, ink and toner cartridges that are more than 16-ounces in weight pose a risk to air travel security and are banned from both carry-on and checked baggage.

Sports equipment like baseball bats, hockey sticks and golf clubs can be used as bludgeons and are prohibited in the cabin of airplanes. If you wish to travel with these items, they must be stored and transported in checked baggage.

As long as they aren't labeled "hazardous material," aerosol insecticides can be transported in checked baggage. However, you could have your can of bug spray swiftly confiscated if you try to bring it through TSA.

The highly entertaining (and rather annoying) childhood toys known as Bang Snaps, Bang Pops, or TNT Pop-Its are strictly prohibited in both checked and carry-on baggage. This is most likely due to the small amounts of explosive silver fulminate stored inside of each tiny pouch of fun.

Although it's highly unlikely you would ever be traveling with a can of Pam, you should know that it is considered a restricted item according to TSA's standards. Cooking spray cannot be transported by air travel in checked or carry-on baggage.

If you’re traveling to or from a certain fairytale-themed amusement park, be sure to explain to your young prince and princess that their foam swords must travel separately in a checked bag.

One way TSA could ruin your holiday mood is by unwrapping a gift you spent time packaging. Unless you want your gifts to be unwrapped and reconstructed with TSA tape, you may want to wait until arriving at your final destination before wrapping presents.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone devices are banned from air travel in the United States.

The ban was initiated in 2016 after a series of recalls on the device were ordered due to its tendency to spontaneously combust.

"Device owners have experienced documented incidents of dangerous evolution of heat with both recalled and replacement Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices," the Department of Transportation said in a statement. "Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines."

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TSA debuts new technology at security checkpoints at BWI Airport