Friday, November 29, 2024

Senators Say TSA's Facial Recognition Program is Out of Control

You can opt out of facial recognition at airports, for now, but the TSA has indicated it wants to make the invasive technology a requirement.

Posted by lamplighter at 08:31 PM | 17 COMMENTS | permalink

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... 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.

Their letter comes just before one of the busiest travel periods of the year when millions of Americans are expected to pass through the nation's airports.

"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.

The letter was signed by Jeffrey Merkley (D-OR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Steve Daines (R-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

While the TSA's facial recognition program is currently optional and only in a few dozen airports, the agency announced in June that it plans to expand the technology to more than 430 airports. And the senators' letter quotes a talk given by TSA Administrator David Pekoske in 2023 in which he said "we will get to the point where we require biometrics across the board."

"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." ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 01:12 PM

the TSA has indicated it wants to make the invasive technology a requirement.

Invasive? Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Many is the time I've demanded that law enforcement officials avert their gaze from me. Especially at the airport.

At customs? I'm like, "Take a picture, it'll last longer!"

#2 | Posted by censored at 2024-11-29 06:44 PM

One concern for me...

When the TSA starts using facial recognition on me, there is valid identification behind that image of me, usually a passport.

So the question becomes, how much of that data is shared with governmental entties and non-governmental entities?

All those red-light cameras I see around here, are they taking an image of my face?



#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 07:09 PM

Nothing beats walking through customs after a 12 hour flight by just looking at a kiosk.

#4 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-11-29 07:31 PM

@#4 ... Nothing beats walking through customs after a 12 hour flight by just looking at a kiosk. ...

For starters, how accurate is that facial recognition technology?

Understanding The Debate On Facial Recognition ... (September 2024)
ace-usa.org

... A facial image is like a fingerprint: a unique piece of human data that can identify an individual or connect them to a crime. Law enforcement uses facial recognition to identify suspects, monitor large crowds, and ensure public safety.

Facial recognition software is used by local, state, and federal law enforcement, but its adoption is uneven. Some cities, like San Francisco and Boston, have banned its use for law enforcement, while others have embraced it. Despite this, the technology has been instrumental in solving cold cases, tracking suspects, and finding missing persons, and is considered a game changer by some in law enforcement.

Facial recognition software can be integrated with existing police databases, including mugshots and driver's license records. Private companies like Clearview AI and Amazon's Rekognition also provide law enforcement with databases containing information gathered from the internet.

Here's how police use facial recognition technology: ...



But, how accurate is it?


#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 08:55 PM

Police Use of AI-Powered Facial Recognition Technology and the Risk of Racial Bias (May 2024)
www.americanbar.org

...
Summary

- - - When used by law enforcement in identifying crime suspects, facial recognition technology (FRT) powered by artificial intelligence can reinforce unconscious bias and lead to the arrest of innocent Black people.

- - - FRT programs are more prone to error on facial images depicting Black males than facial images depicting white males.

- - - Testing, monitoring, and the implementation of enforceable safety measures are imperative to prevent constitutional violations in the use of FRT and AI.
...


#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 09:01 PM

Customs agents are real weirdos. One time I was going back to the US via ORD, and this bald guy working there noticed I had a package of fish shaped crackers. He immediately asked, "That's not MEAT, is it?" And I was like "no, it's candy." And he immediately replied "it's not MEAT CANDY, is it?!"

#7 | Posted by sentinel at 2024-11-29 09:02 PM

For starters, how accurate is that facial recognition technology?

In that case he's probably talking about an iris scanner.

#8 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-11-29 09:05 PM

@#8 ... he's probably talking about an iris scanner. ...

Nah.

Facial recognition is not an iris scanner.

#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 09:09 PM

@#7 ... and this bald guy ...

Curious you mentioned his top-level lack of hirsuteness.

Is there something about being bald that adds to the comment?



#10 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-29 09:11 PM

Facial recognition is not an iris scanner.

No, but I think you need an iris scanner to walk through customs from an international flight.

#11 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-11-29 09:13 PM

#5

How accurate? I've gone through Global Entry 4 times and it's literally a second. And you know what you look like after an 11 hour flight, so...

#12 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-11-30 12:20 AM

#11

WRONG.

#13 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-11-30 12:21 AM

WRONG.

My Bad. I'm Canadian so I use NEXUS rather than Global Entry. That needs an iris scan.

#14 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-11-30 12:27 AM

@#11 ... No, but I think you need an iris scanner to walk through customs from an international flight. ...

I haven't flown internationally since 2005 or so, so I do not know current requirements.

I found this...

NEXUS Iris Scans " Why and Where (2019)
nexuscardapplication.com

... If you want to use your NEXUS Card for air travel, you need an iris scan. You need an iris scan because the Global Entry kiosks in US airports will match your eyes to the iris scan on file. The kiosks are part of the US Global Entry system and are mandatory to use when using your NEXUS Card to clear customs in an airport in Canada or the US when travelling to the US.

There is no way around this requirement for NEXUS air travel: either you get an iris scan or you only use your NEXUS Card for driving across the border or crossing the border by boat. This is why iris scanners are not at all border enrolment centres. ...


#15 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-30 12:41 AM

@#12 ... How accurate? ...

So... you're not a person of color?

Racial Discrimination in Face Recognition Technology (2020)
sitn.hms.harvard.edu

... We unlock our iPhones with a glance and wonder how Facebook knew to tag us in that photo. But face recognition, the technology behind these features, is more than just a gimmick. It is employed for law enforcement surveillance, airport passenger screening, and employment and housing decisions.

Despite widespread adoption, face recognition was recently banned for use by police and local agencies in several cities, including Boston and San Francisco.

Why?

Of the dominant biometrics in use (fingerprint, iris, palm, voice, and face), face recognition is the least accurate and is rife with privacy concerns. ...


#16 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-11-30 12:45 AM

#10

It's common for pigs and wannabe-pigs to shave their heads because they consider it more intimidating.

Baldness can also be a symptom of steroid abuse, which is common among worthless garbage pigs.

That makes it relevant.

#17 | Posted by DarkVader at 2024-11-30 02:02 PM

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