Live data from Hacker News

Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

techcrunch.com

11–20 of 222 posts

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#11
also worth noting: as a US citizen re-entering the country you do not have to present anything more to a customs agent than your passport.

You are not required to answer any questions at all. Where youre from, where you were, what you did, nothing, however it may result in an inspection of your bags, so it depends on whether your interpretation of liberty is based on personal convenience.

Disclosure: ive done this opt-out twice. The first time I got to sit in a room with a few other folks who had been randomly selected based on their winning complexion, and was let go after 20 minutes and a bag search. The second time the screening room was busy so i was let go immediately. at no point did i answer a single question.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#12
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that most of us that will opt-out of this type of thing are already on that particular list.

I opt for a pat-down every time. I doubt this will put me on any worse of a list. Thanks for sharing OP!

Glad I'm not the only one. Still haven't been through one of those scanners.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#13

Am I the only one spooked by the fact that to opt out, you now need to have your passport with you? (and for _domestic travel_ no less) Given that the facial databases contain your data regardless, and the amount of in-airport surveillance (in that you're not gonna avoid being observed and logged), It's more of a, "we're gonna make you present your papers regardless, pick your poison"

Isn’t a passport just a basic photo ID? Seems reasonable to ask for on to check people are who they say they are. Everyone already has a passport.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#14
post #11

also worth noting: as a US citizen re-entering the country you do not have to present anything more to a customs agent than your passport. You are not required to answer any questions at all. Where youre from, where you were, what you did, nothing, however it may result in an inspection of your bags, so it depends on whether your interpretation of liberty is based on personal convenience. Disclosure: ive done this op…

The last few times I've returned to the states I haven't even had to talk to a customs agent - but signing up for Global Entry might be too much of a violation of privacy by some standards.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#15
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that most of us that will opt-out of this type of thing are already on that particular list.

I opt for a pat-down every time. I doubt this will put me on any worse of a list. Thanks for sharing OP!

me too. those peeping tom machines are such a farce in the overall tragedy that is security theater.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#16

Am I the only one spooked by the fact that to opt out, you now need to have your passport with you? (and for _domestic travel_ no less) Given that the facial databases contain your data regardless, and the amount of in-airport surveillance (in that you're not gonna avoid being observed and logged), It's more of a, "we're gonna make you present your papers regardless, pick your poison"

Isn’t a passport just a basic photo ID? Seems reasonable to ask for on to check people are who they say they are. Everyone already has a passport.

Isn't a state driver's license considered a basic photo ID? There's no reason not to accept one.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#17

They delete the photo after 12 hours, but probably not the measurements for recognition.

I'm always wary about this; when companies say they delete the bio-metric photos. They may delete the photos (even if they actually shred the photos), but they are still training a bio-metric model to better identify you before the photos are deleted.

> Biometric Templates: CBP creates biometric templates of historical photos and new photos for matching and storage. Biometric templates are strings of multiple numbers representing images that can be matched against other templates that represent facial images. These templates are irreversible and cannot be reverse-engineered by anyone outside of CBP to reconstruct the photo, meaning that these photographs are not recognizable outside of the TVS system.

So even if no single photo of you is on their severs, they still have a fingerprint of your face that can positively identify you.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/biometrics/biometric-exit-faqs

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#18

Am I the only one spooked by the fact that to opt out, you now need to have your passport with you? (and for _domestic travel_ no less) Given that the facial databases contain your data regardless, and the amount of in-airport surveillance (in that you're not gonna avoid being observed and logged), It's more of a, "we're gonna make you present your papers regardless, pick your poison"

Isn’t a passport just a basic photo ID? Seems reasonable to ask for on to check people are who they say they are. Everyone already has a passport.

If you have never travelled outside the US you might not have a passport.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#19

Am I the only one spooked by the fact that to opt out, you now need to have your passport with you? (and for _domestic travel_ no less) Given that the facial databases contain your data regardless, and the amount of in-airport surveillance (in that you're not gonna avoid being observed and logged), It's more of a, "we're gonna make you present your papers regardless, pick your poison"

Isn’t a passport just a basic photo ID? Seems reasonable to ask for on to check people are who they say they are. Everyone already has a passport.

>Everyone already has a passport.

I'm pretty sure most native born citizens don't get passports unless and until they make plans to travel internationally.

Re: Americans can opt out of airport facial recognition

#20

Am I the only one spooked by the fact that to opt out, you now need to have your passport with you? (and for _domestic travel_ no less) Given that the facial databases contain your data regardless, and the amount of in-airport surveillance (in that you're not gonna avoid being observed and logged), It's more of a, "we're gonna make you present your papers regardless, pick your poison"

Isn’t a passport just a basic photo ID? Seems reasonable to ask for on to check people are who they say they are. Everyone already has a passport.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN