The future is already here when it comes to airline travel. The desire for efficiency and the need to detect security threats have caused airlines and airports to race toward developing high-tech boarding options for travelers. Airports across the country have been rolling out high-tech scanning options slowly and allowing travelers to decide whether or not they’re interested in signing up to participate. Both Delta and JetBlue recently rolled out technology that uses verified identities to speed up baggage handling and eliminate the need for boarding passes.
There’s now a new twist when high-tech scans at airports are involved. The Department of Homeland Security recently issued statements pushing for biometric facial scans. This means that travelers visiting American airports may no longer have a choice whether or not they want to register to participate in high-tech screening options.
The new development is causing alarm among some privacy advocates and lawyers. How should the average traveler feel about participating in biometric facial scanning programs when they fly? The reality is that travelers may not have much of a choice if they want to be permitted to board flights.
Why Biometric Scanning Is Coming To Airports Soon
The call for biometric security scans isn’t actually something new. A policy has been in place since 2004 that requires nonimmigrant foreigners to submit to biometric identity scans. However, the Department of Homeland Security has only collected fingerprints and photos up until now. It appears that’s all about to change.
The Department of Homeland Security is ready to begin implementing biometric facial scanning across the nation’s airports. However, the change won’t just affect travelers from foreign countries. The agency has stated that all United States citizens must also be scanned in order for the system to work.
Getting Prepared For Biometric Scanning
Test programs have already been launched for biometric facial screening at airports in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York City. Passengers do have the choice to opt out of the program during the test phase. However, that won’t be the case once the program reaches its full scale. The Department of Homeland Security plans to make that happen at most high-profile, high-traffic international airports in the United States by 2018.
Should you be concerned that your personal information will be stored and shared once biometric scanning becomes the norm at the nation’s airports? The Department of Homeland Security has assured travelers that it has no plans to retain the biometric data of United States citizens after it’s collected. In fact, all scans will be deleted within 14 days. Nonetheless, this will likely do very little to satisfy critics who feel that biometric scanning goes too far with conducting surveillance over United States citizens.
The bottom line is that implementing biometric scanning across the board is going to be difficult. Aside from the legal questions that are sure to be raised, technical issues are also likely to create wrinkles when biometric scans launch around the nation. The fact that this type of technology is still extremely new means that the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t have a full picture of the potential shortcomings and failings of biometric facial scanning just yet.
