If your international trip flies through Washington Dulles International ?Airport, that passport had better be who you say you are. There’s a camera that runs deep, and I mean deep, that will check you out.
It’s called facial recognition technology. It’s biometric technology that studies a person’s unique facial features: facial position, eye shape, nose, cheekbone, etc. Back on March 11, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began a facial recognition program at Dulles Airport to combat passport fraud and false identity. It’s believed this technology will help catch impostors flying into our border, but civil libertarians and privacy rights groups worry of more sinister consequences. You see, the picture taken will be matched with the RFID backed passport picture. If the two pictures don’t seem to match, the officer alone will have full discretion on legal action. CBP themselves say facial recognition won’t be the only factor in letting a person into the country, or whether further screening methods are necessary. Other than that, CBP has been generally hush-hush about this new security measure. It only takes a few seconds to snap a facial recognition photo, and they promise the photos won’t leave CBP headquarters, unless there is a criminal investigation. This test program is likely to last 19 months.
I know some are going to go hurrah for extra security at our airport. When I look at one incident that happened today, I see why. But let’s dig deeper. They have RFID technology in our passports already. Our passports can tell any law enforcement official around the world where we are. Do we really need to spend billions of dollars on this? Some may say, “Look at ISIS and other terror groups. Look at the drug cartels. Look at human traffickers.” I understand how dangerous and fragile this world is. But whose to say they won’t use this technology to go after law abiding Americans while letting the sociopaths go free? Haven’t they done it before?