It seems like the advancements in airport security technology keep getting more innovative by the day, and it’s about to get even more impressive.
At 16 airports around America, the TSA is currently testing facial recognition software to verify the ID of passengers at kiosks. The goal is to make the airport experience more convenient and faster, and to eliminate person-to-person contact.
TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston said, “Biometric technology has the potential to enhance security effectiveness, improve operational efficiency, and yield a more streamlined passenger experience at the TSA checkpoint. TSA recognizes that biometric solutions must be highly usable for all passengers and operators, considering the diversity of the traveling public.”
This is how the process works: TSA agents verify a live image that is captured on a screen compared with the image of a person’s face from their ID. It is then matched against a database of faces. If passengers are uncomfortable with the process (for now), they can request a standard ID check.
The pilot program started in 2020 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the height of the Covid pandemic to minimize contact between people.
The pilot program is currently taking place at the following 16 U.S. airports, FYI:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Boston Logan International Airport
- Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- Denver International Airport
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
- Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
- Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
- Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Orlando International Airport
- Miami International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- San Jose International Airport
- Salt Lake City International Airport
The future is here now, folks!
I guess we better get used to it…