The TSA likes facial recognition at airports. Passengers and politicians, not so much
- Reference: 1753920649
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/31/tsa_facial_recognition/
- Source link:
US airports have used facial scanners since 2017, when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) started trials of the tech in the hope it would improve security and speed boarding times. 250 airports currently use facial recognition.
According to a May 2025 [1]report [PDF] by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), facial recognition at airports is accurate.
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The report cites National Institute of Standards and Technology research that fewer than one percent of recognition attempts produced a false positive or false negative - considerably better than [3]many biometric identifiers.
[4]
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Despite that accuracy, and the chance to opt out of using facial recognition, many passengers don’t like it.
A July [6]report [PDF] from the non-profit Algorithmic Justice League (AJL) found airport staff offered just one percent of travelers the chance to opt out.
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Some of those who chose to opt out reported poor experiences.
"I got in line for security and presented my driver’s license to the agent. The agent asked me to stand in front of the camera," reported one passenger at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last year.
"Knowing my rights, I asked if I could opt out of the photo. The agent got angry, raising his voice to tell me that 'we already took your picture 'and that there are 'a thousand cameras in this airport…there’s a camera in your phone too.'"
[8]
Many passengers were told that they either couldn't opt out of the facial scans, or that they were too late to do so. Over two-thirds of those who opted out reported negative treatment from staff, and in one case a passenger missed their flight due to the time required to process them at the airport.
"I requested my usual photo opt-out. This time, the TSA agent made quite a scene: she closed off her lane with a divider rope, took my ID and boarding pass to another lane, and left me waiting for five minutes," reported one passenger at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
"When she returned, she sat down and spent another five minutes scrutinizing my ID and boarding pass. Concerned, I asked if there was a problem. She replied, 'No, I just have to verify everything manually; you should consider just allowing the photo next time.'"
[9]TSA's airport facial-recog tech faces audit probe
[10]Senate bill aims to stop Uncle Sam using facial recognition at airports
[11]TSA wants to expand facial recognition to hundreds of airports within next decade
[12]Rights group launches legal challenge over London cops' use of facial recognition tech
Over half of fliers interviewed for the study reported they did not see notifications explaining their right to opt out, and 74 percent said they weren't warned about its use. Over 60 percent of respondents expressed concern that their facial images could be used by third parties and over 20 percent felt that they weren't comfortable verbally opting out for fear that it would cause them a delay.
The TSA had no comment at time of publication. However, it claims that facial scans are only used to match a person's image against their ID, and that pictures aren't stored "except in a limited testing environment for evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology."
Congress is [13]currently auditing the system, just to make sure.
Politicians want it both ways
In May a bipartisan group of senators, led by Jeff Merkley (D-OR), [14]reintroduced the Traveler Privacy Protection Act, which would ensure that passengers can opt out of facial scanning and make sure that airlines and airports cannot make it mandatory.
"No one should be required to have their face scanned to travel, and no government should have the power of a national surveillance system at its fingertips," Merkley [15]said on Tuesday, citing the AJL report.
"Our Traveler Privacy Protection Act would preserve passengers’ right to use an approved document—like a driver’s license—to travel by air. In addition, it would require signage to inform passengers of that right and protect the data collected from abuse."
Merkley documented his experience at Washington DC in a video you can see below, when he was told he couldn't really opt out of being photographed since he'd already walked past a camera. He accused the TSA of wanting to build a library of images depicting air travelers’ faces.
[16]Youtube Video
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation considered the bill on Tuesday.
Ahead of that hearing, industry body Airlines for America [17]reportedly wrote to senators to claim that eschewing facial scanning would make everyone less safe and cost more money.
"Restricting TSA’s use of biometrics is a step backward for our national security," the letter said. In addition it would "prevent TSA from achieving staffing efficiencies through technology automation by requiring officer-based interactions – forcing 75 percent of TSA’s budget to remain tied to staffing rather than technology investment."
Unsurprisingly the Security Industry Association, which represents vendors in the area, has also come out [18]strongly [PDF] against the legislation.
"Rolling back proven traveler verification capabilities will ultimately serve to enable bad actors that seek to use fraudulent documents or identities in order to commit crimes like smuggling or trafficking in persons, inflict harm on innocent citizens or carry out acts of terrorism," it wrote. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://documents.pclob.gov/prod/Documents/OversightReport/90964138-44eb-483d-990e-057ce4c31db7/Use%20of%20FRT%20by%20TSA,%20PCLOB%20Report%20(5-12-25),%20Completed%20508,%20May%2019,%202025.pdf
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIrqRzAeBIxAZGLNCQR5ZwAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/25/facial_recognition_system_used_by/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIrqRzAeBIxAZGLNCQR5ZwAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIrqRzAeBIxAZGLNCQR5ZwAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://afp.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/sitefiles/complytoflyreport-ajl.pdf
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIrqRzAeBIxAZGLNCQR5ZwAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIrqRzAeBIxAZGLNCQR5ZwAAAFE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/03/tsa_facial_recognition_audit/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/01/traveler_privacy_protection_act/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/03/tsa_facial_recognition_airport/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2018/07/26/big_brother_watch_legal_challenge_facial_recognition/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/03/tsa_facial_recognition_audit/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/01/traveler_privacy_protection_act/
[15] https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-statement-on-his-bipartisan-bill-to-rein-in-tsa-facial-recognition-technology-at-airports-nationwide/
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqNYezEydD0
[17] https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-airlines-oppose-new-limits-facial-recognition-airport-checkpoints-2025-07-28/
[18] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/07/30/sia.pdf
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I opt out 100% of the time. Often the people around me say, “You can do that?”
Probably 12 times so far. Zero issues. Fuck facial recognition.
"you should consider just allowing the photo next time"
So, the little Nazi bitch thinks she made a point.
She did indeed, but not the one she thought she was making.
TSA is useless, overbearing and exceeds its authority with clockwork regularity. I have yet to see a report where the TSA caught any dangerous person. So what's the point ?
Apart from enabling some power-hungry psychopaths to have a job where they can legally indulge in their power fantasies.
I always opt out.
TSA pre-check is totally worth it. It gets you back to similar to before the 2000's in getting to your plane.
Anyway, any time I have to go through the nude-ray scanners (rape-i-scan, anyone? rapiscan?), I opt out. They have me wait 5-25 minutes, and I ask to stay with my things -- as you're supposed to not put your things through until you go through security (and put all your things completely through before you go through security). So there I am, with a small pile of bins, waiting as people issue me to take my turn in line -- no thanks, opting out.
When they finally come and call me through and escort me through not-the-metal-detector but the side entrance, stuff the bins at the head of the x-ray line, hands out, palms up, etc etc. The process begins. Some of them are new, and use pressure against your body, which pushes you over. Even a little bit of continuous pressure is a lot. Mostly, it's just the thing. They do their job, I stand there for a groping. Only one has been exceptionally thorough about the crotch. Hey, wanna feel me up, cool dude. Have at it.
After the same-gender bonding session, I go to the end of the conveyor where they've pulled all of my carry-on off to the side, and watch as they disassemble all of it in the worst possible ways. Every time it's a different reason. Travel toothpaste. Camera is a "computer" it has to be separate. Your lense was strange in the bags. Too many headphone wires. The capacitor in the camera's flash looked like a liquid item, and needs to be passed through x-ray separately. The bag of powder (soylent?) raised a concern. We can't tell what's your medicine and what's not. (??) Every time it's something different.
TSA ingress check point - same thing. "Stand in front of the camera." -- "I'd like to opt out" and I stand beside the camera. I've never been questioned or hassled, they take my ID, look at my face, look at my ID, and pass me through. Quicker for them, easier for them, *quicker* for me, and 0.001% more private for me. Comparatively, standing in line, I seen facial recognition fail 5-20% of the time, falling back to the same check they'd have if they'd opted out - the same one that I get. There's always a person at the podium to check the boarding pass and validity of the ID. Those people always watch/operate the computer for facial recognition. Nothing is gained, except more training data to feed into the system. (But yes, there are a hundred cameras all over the airport -- which track your every step to every destination, and feed every frame into the system.) Never any problems. I suppose if there were, I'd stand beside the podium, and repeat myself. "I'm opting out." Whatever happens, happens - I'm opting out. "It'll be about a 20 minute wait." "Ok."
Of course, I *always* arrive at the airport with hours in abbundance. Even if everything goes right, sometimes they swab your hands, and you set off the rapid-expansion detector. Then they tell you to come with them to a private screening room. That's always worrying: the US government has a frightening capacity to disappear people. "Can I have a public screening, please?" "No. Come with us." And in to a private screening room under the stairs, where they swabbed with 20 different swabs, testing each and every one of them separately. In the end, nothing came up, and I spent 10 minutes re-packing my carry-on, and off I went.
I don't doubt the horror stories such as those reported here, however I've never had them happen to me, in roughly 50 opt-outs. Look tired. Look lazy. Simply state that you *are* (no emphasis) opting out. "Next!" "Opt out!" (Only loud enough that they can hear me.) "Stand over there immediately next to the opening of the X-ray machine." Uhm.... "Could I stand over by the trash can, please?" "That's fine."
There's a story for another time about where I had to go out through security, and come back in (airport construction), and sat down against the wall to drink a bottle of water I'd bought after I got off the plane. Didn't want to throw it away. Nine TSA agents came up and surrounded me in a semi-circle against the wall. I stood up, and one old black dude started barking, "YOU CAN"T BE HERE! You HAVE TO LEAVE!" "Ok. Could you show me which way to go?" (they have me surrounded, I can't move without going through them.)" "You HAVE TO LEAVE." "Ok. Where how should I get out?" "YOU HAVE to LEAVE!" I just start standing there. He barks at me three or four more times, and I haven't any more patience left. He's just trying to get a rise out of me, so that he can justify attacking me. Without ever saying anything else, he and seven of the TSA walked away, leaving me standing there. One stayed behind, and asked me if I'd like him to tell me where to go. I snapped at him, "COULD YOU PLEASE?!" my patient face was wrecked. To his credit, he calmly told me to go forward toward security and back down the escalator before getting in line. Never again, LAX. I pay more to avoid it. Never again. Never again, Georgia. Never, ever again. I will fly from a neighboring city's airport. (Dude with a gun barking at someone, completely dead serious, he's gotta lose the hat. Guy goes, "what?" completely confused. And again, security tells him: you can't have the hat. Gotta lose the hat. This continues back and forth, "huh?" until after the 4th or 5th time the TSA ass says, "Chuckle nyuck, just screwin with ya man. We like the other [sports] team down here, haha." The dude with the hat was *not* amused. They did something similar with me, and I was similarly *not* appreciative. Never, ever again Georgia, Chicago, LAX. Flying outside the US is so, so nice in comparison.)
The best airports have been Boston, Orlando, Detroit (I didn't go through security), St Louis, MO. Excluding foreign airports (which are *almost* always a comparably positive experience).
What's the current state of the art?
Can it still be confused by wearing glasses and smiling?