Facial Recognition Being Tested by TSA at U.S. Airports

The Transportation Security Administration is using cameras and computers as part of a facial recognition test program at several airports across the United States.

The pilot testing involves a traveler placing their ID into a slot in a machine and looking at a camera. The system then verifies that the person and document match.

The TSA called it credential authentication technology (CAT). The agency said it is a "security game changer" at airports.

The agency claimed that CAT will improve the travel document checker’s ability to accurately authenticate passenger identification and pre-screening status, addressing the vulnerabilities associated with ID and boarding pass fraud.

TSA said 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.

The technology is currently being tested 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. However, it’s not at every TSA checkpoint, so not every traveler going through those airports would necessarily experience it.

Since it began, the pilot has come 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 that “increasing biometric surveillance of Americans by the government represents a risk to civil liberties and privacy rights.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.