Virginia Lawmakers Question Airport Facial Recognition Privacy

Virginia lawmakers are raising red flags over airport facial recognition, as they question whether the TSA’s high-tech check-ins are eroding traveler privacy rights. It is in response to mounting concerns about privacy from Virginia lawmakers and civil liberties advocates. 

At airports, Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) was initially implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to support check-ins and provide additional security. The technology captures real-time photographs of travellers and compares them with their government-issued Identification in the secure database.

Well-known legislator, Delegate Cliff Hayes, has stressed that even though new technology is a must in the digital-first world, it must not come at the cost of the privacy rights of people.

“Travelers have the right to be fast and to be secure, however, not at the cost of their privacy,” Hayes explained at a press conference. He also encouraged the presence of clearer regulations so that the data policies do not change, even with different people on the throne in the future.

Moreover, the TSA states that it only uses images for real-time ID checks. They never store or reuse them, and travelers have the option to opt out. Privacy advocates from the Electronic Frontier Foundation argue that the TSA’s opt-out policies are not well-publicized, which raises questions about true consent. Travelers can opt out of the facial identification process and choose manual ID verification instead. 

CAT-2 also aligns with standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). They are incorporating plexiglass shields and secure internet connections to verify passenger travel eligibility. This incorporation eliminates the need for boarding passes in both physical and digital forms.

Hayes has also emphasized that policy protections need to be legally binding. He called for action at the federal or state level, like Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act, to stop the misuse of the biometric data of passengers in the future.

Facia’s Role in Ensuring Privacy and Trust

Facia’s biometric system performs identity verification in real time without storing any user data with its edge-based processing. Its liveness detection uses micro-movement analysis to stop deepfakes or pre-recorded attacks. 

Facia provides identity authentication in real-time without persisting biometric data using state-of-the-art liveness detection and anti-spoofing AI. This complements it to be used in high-security areas like in airports, where the privacy of the passengers and the ease of the verification processes matter a lot. Facia is a company that helps to narrow the gap between trust and technology using the ultimate AI innovations.