A bipartisan group of 12 senators has urged the Transportation Security Administration’s inspector general to investigate the agency’s use of facial recognition, saying it poses a significant threat to privacy and civil liberties.

“This technology will soon be in use at hundreds of major and mid-size airports without an independent evaluation of the technology’s precision or an audit of whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy,” the senators wrote.

“While the TSA claims facial recognition is optional, it is confusing and intimidating to opt out of TSA’s facial recognition scans, and our offices have received numerous anecdotal reports of Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) becoming belligerent when a traveler askes to opt out, or simply being unaware of that right,” the senators wrote. They added that in some airports the signage instructing flyers to step in front of a camera is prominently displayed while signs advising passengers of their right to opt out of face scan is “strategically placed in inconspicuous locations.”

To opt out of a face scan at an airport, a traveler need only say that they decline facial recognition. They can then proceed normally through security by presenting an identification document, such as a driver’s license or passport.

  • @phoneymouse@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I opt out aggressively, but they make it so hard. Once I even approached the agent and the camera was directly already in my face, so I hold my hand up to try to block it and say, “I don’t want this,” but apparently they had already gotten my image before I blocked the camera and the TSA agent said “well, you’re verified.” So much for opting out.

    Another time, I was going on an international flight. At the gate, the airline is scanning everyone’s face. I quickly searched the internet about it and found some Reddit post indicating it’s not mandatory at all, but sure enough they’re treating it like it is. When I get to the front, I tell the guy, “I’m not doing this.” And he says “Well, it’s the only way to get on the plane!” I continue to protest citing their privacy policy, which I had learned about moments before. He kinda scoffs and waves me over the to gate desk.

    I walk past him and to the gate lady, she checks my passport and hands me a paper boarding pass. I already had a boarding pass on my phone, but ok. Well, then I walk past the guy who was scanning faces to board the plane and he doesn’t pay any attention to me. I realize then that I could’ve skipped talking to the gate agent all together and just boarded. Wow, these biometrics are so secure! That said, everyone else in line just did as they were asked like a bunch of sheep, some even smiling for the camera while their biometrics were harvested.

    • @fireweed@lemmy.world
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      134 months ago

      Wear a face mask at the airport, and you’ll never get a surprise facial recognition photo again.

      • @XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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        104 months ago

        TSA Clear verifies by your eyes. Covering your nose and mouth won’t be sufficient for long, if it even still is

        • @sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          84 months ago

          Yup. Something like reflectacles can probably help w/ verification by eyes, a mask helps with verification by face. I’m happy to let a human verify (I’ll pull down my mask for them), but I refuse to let this happen automatically, because it’s absolutely a 4th amendment violation to constantly be tracked throughout the airport.

  • @NABDad@lemmy.world
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    194 months ago

    If only there was some government organization in place that could propose and pass legislation to limit the TSA.

  • @Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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    104 months ago

    A bipartisan group of 12 senators has urged the Transportation Security Administration’s inspector general to investigate the agency’s use of facial recognition, saying it poses a significant threat to privacy and civil liberties.

    To which the TSA probably said, “Well, duh!”

  • @Snapz@lemmy.world
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    144 months ago

    Got a lot of attitude when telling them I preferred to opt out. Signs posted everywhere informing you of the right and the agent felt so put upon when asked. To the point that I mentioned to supervisor and she tried to over apologize like she cares and was going to talk to the agent, but she didn’t give a shit. It’s an intimidation/peer pressure thing, also they do scan your face, and then you can ask them to discard after the fact… But how many of us think that data is actually “gone” after they’ve collected it?

    More likely you still have a scan somewhere in system, now just with an added flag labeling you as a difficult

    • @TheFriar@lemm.ee
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      114 months ago

      When I opt out, they keep telling me “we delete the photo after you leave.” Are you deleting the data of my face though? Fuck off with that noise, I ain’t fuckin fallin for it

    • @Brodysseus@lemmy.world
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      44 months ago

      That sucks. I’ve never had an issue opting out after finding out it’s possible, maybe done it 7 or 8 times. I smile and ask “is it possible to opt out of that?”

      I’m curious if something would happen if they told you no, when you do in fact have that right. I’m so anxious when I’m there (about nothing, just an anxious guy) that if they told me I couldn’t opt out I’d just fall in and let the thing scan me.

    • @jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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      4 months ago

      We know for a fact that its not gone.

      What they say is that the TSA deletes it locally. They dont make any claim that other agencies that they send it to delete it. Read their claims carefuly.

  • @slaacaa@lemmy.world
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    34 months ago

    I e.g. some EU airports, you have separate lines for passport check by an officer, and lines for passport & face scan machines. This way you can choose which one to use, when you enter/exit the EU.

  • @ATDA@lemmy.world
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    84 months ago

    Does opting out do anything practical when you’re walking through a an airport with enough cameras to determine how many times you’ve farted in terminal A?

    Not that I disagree with the premise but …

  • snooggums
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    124 months ago

    They put up signs that the scan will be deleted after verification, but I am guessing that is a misdirection and a hash of the scan is saved like how fingerprint scanners work. Otherwise there would be no need for the scanners since a person is there to verify the scan already…

  • @sudoer777@lemmy.ml
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    24 months ago

    Is this a requirement for domestic flights? In Texas they have these things but nobody uses them.

  • @werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    24 months ago

    Not that guy! That’s Saddam Hussein! Her him!

    Oh shit, sir, we’re really sorry! Didn’t know Saddam was already in the country! Here’s a complimentary peanut.

  • @futatorius@lemm.ee
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    44 months ago

    And now scum like Trump are in control of the TSA. We should have shut it down when we had the chance.

  • @jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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    144 months ago

    the TSA has said the systems have a three percent false negative rate—how often they fail to properly match a person to their image in the database—which would equate to 68,000 failures daily if the technology was spread across all airports.

    Holy crap, so 1 out of every 30 times I fly, I get to fly under someone else’s identity that looks like me?

    Fuck that’s broke

      • @futatorius@lemm.ee
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        04 months ago

        Claimed 3% false negatives according to the TSA, not actual false negatives, which are probably far higher. And what’s the false positive rate? How many people are going to get hauled off planes and harassed for no reason?

        • @rektdeckard@lemmy.world
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          14 months ago

          I’m not making an argument for the technology or the veracity of the claims, I was literally just pointing out the misunderstanding.

  • @Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works
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    124 months ago

    Any data released in what percentage are refusing it? This hardly seems necessary to make it mandatory - I’ve never seen anyone refuse it in my many hours standing in TSA lines. I’ve also never been asked if I have a preference, only told in a typical grumpy Tsa voice to look at the camera. There are cameras all over the damn airport - I don’t believe they aren’t capturing and potentially using recognition algorithms on other cameras as well.

    I think its great to see there are a few spines left on Capitol Hill interested in pushing back a bit though.