Facial recognition is being tested by several
airlines at a handful of U.S. airports. American
citizens are allowed to opt out of being
photographed, although a 2017 audit by a
federal watchdog agency found that few U.S.
travelers exercised that right — barely more
than one per flight.
Federal law requires Homeland Security to
put into place a system to use biometrics to
confirm the identity of international travelers.
Government officials have made no secret of
their desire to expand the use of biometrics,
which they say could identify potential terrorists.
Jay Stanley, a policy analyst for the American
Civil Liberties Union, said the government
has told the public and Congress repeatedly
that American citizens would be exempt from
mandatory biometric screening.
“This new notice suggests that the government
is reneging on what was already an insufficient
promise,” Stanley said in a statement. “Travelers,
including U.S. citizens, should not have to
submit to invasive biometric scans simply as
a condition of exercising their constitutional
right to travel.”