What You Need to Know About Face Recognition at Airports


While Americans are traveling more comfortably during the pandemic, international travelers can find a new identity system used by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when they return home: biometric facial recognition. Following a directive by Congress’ 9/11 Commission to improve border security using biometrics, CBP began ramping up the technology in a program named in 2018. Simplified Arrival. Among other available biometric measurements, Including iris scans and fingerprints, the agency opted for facial recognition, which uses a computer algorithm to compare an image taken in person at an airport immigration or other border checkpoint with a passenger’s passport image or visa.

“We automated a manual process,” said Diane Sabatino, vice president of CBP, which oversees the biometric program.

Some privacy advocates have questioned the use of the technology. Addressing equality, Missouri Republican Senators Roy Blunt and Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley sent a letter. letter In January, he asked the agency for more information “to ensure that flagged individuals are treated in a safe, fair and non-intrusive manner, given that facial recognition software is flawed.”

The following are excerpts from an interview with Ms. Sabatino, edited for length and clarity.

Credit…CBP

When we looked at different biometric technologies (fingerprint, iris and face scans), we met face because it is a very simple process. Travelers present themselves and their documents and pose for a quick photo in seconds. Based on his conversation with the traveler about the purpose of the trip, the officer has the data he needs and can ultimately decide whether further investigation is necessary. We can now take advantage of technology that is better at making comparisons. The officer is still the final decision maker. Travelers can opt out.

It’s a streamlined process. One benefit is to help officers be more efficient in determining the purpose of travel. It’s also better at spotting potential fraudsters. And the third piece we didn’t consider was the added health benefits. We have a security enhancement at a time and place where individuals are already expected to present themselves for authentication, and we are now adding contactless travel and limiting the spread of pathogens. It wasn’t something we thought of when we developed it, but it certainly made sense.

Manual verification takes 10 to 30 seconds, depending on environmental factors. Someone outside at a land border may be more challenged by the lighting. As we automate and refine facial recognition technology, we spend two to three seconds verifying a match. The match is a tool in the whole process. This tool does not make the decision to accept or require further review. It is the sum of the officer and the conditions. The priority is safety.

In about the first three years since deployment, we’ve identified around 300 fraudsters using the technology, primarily in the air passenger environment and partly in shipping. This does not mean that we will not define them otherwise. Last year, around 1,000 to 1,100 were caught at pedestrian land crossings at the southern land border.

Our business use case is to identify individuals where and when they would normally expect to present themselves for authentication. We don’t grab images and we don’t scrape social media. Individuals show a passport and we have an archive to create galleries using US passport photos and photos of visa applicants prior to their arrival. That’s why we build these galleries in airport and marine environments based on information already provided for authentication. We match it with the information we have.

And we make sure there is secure encryption. Once a gallery is created, that photo is not attached to any information and cannot be reverse engineered for compromise. The design is based on privacy measures we know should exist. For US citizens, images are retained for less than 12 hours, and often much less.

It’s definitely something we’re very attuned to. we partnered with National Institute of Standards and Technology give information about the program. Our high-performance algorithms show virtually no demonstrable differences when it comes to demographics.

We post signs at all ports of entry. People who choose to opt out must notify the officer at the time of the inspection. It will then revert to manual operation.

We distributed it in pedestrian lanes at land borders. In the air environment, we cover about 99 percent with Simplified Arrival. The land border is the final frontier. We have completed a 120-day pilot study of car lanes in Hidalgo, Texas and will be evaluating the outcome. We are in the 90 percent range in cruise terminals. We work with nine prime movers, all in eight ports of entry in Florida, including Miami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades.

We welcome review by privacy advocacy groups. We want to tell and share the story of our investment in privacy. There is too much myth and too much misinformation confusing what we do with surveillance. Whenever a new technology becomes available, there are always legitimate concerns. We welcome these questions. They help us to respond better as we set up these systems.

Elaine Glusac writes the Frugal Traveler column. follow him on Instagram @eglusac.





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