Not Ready For Takeoff: Face Scans at Airport Departure Gates

Travelers on certain international flights departing from Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, Houston, and Washington, D.C., are having their faces scanned and compared to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) biometric database to verify their identity. This report argues that DHS’ airport face scan program should be abandoned, and those funds should be invested elsewhere. Not only is the program expected to cost one billion dollars, but Congress has never clearly authorized the border collection of biometrics from American citizens using face recognition technology and DHS is not complying with federal law requiring it to conduct a rulemaking process. Additionally, the face scanning technology used by DHS may make frequent mistakes. However, if the program is to proceed, this report also provides suggestions on how DHS can reduce such privacy issues.