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Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

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Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#41

Post by jkestner »

BadHumans wrote: post #11
corytheboyd wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People just want to get through an incredibly annoying experience as fast as possible, and they know the people behind them want this too. Doesn’t excuse the bullshit, but it’s much less of a dramatic “sheep bowing to authority” than made out to be here.

This is it. I don't think I've opted out of it. I know I can but I know the agent is going to make a big deal of it and the line is already long for everyone behind me so whatever lets just get through it.

Nah. In my experience when you opt out, they say “Okay,” scan your ID the same way they’ve been doing for 20 years, and you get through in the same time.

If they want to entice us with convenience, the facial recognition should allow you to just stroll through without talking to anyone.

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#43

Post by paulluuk »

netsharc wrote: post #12

When entering China, they take your fingerprints, iris, and I guess face too... I was there in 2019, at one point I was at an airport, and a screen was bragging, "Stand where the camera can see your face, and we'll tell you which way to your gate.". It worked too, the screen displayed my name, flight number and direction to my gate. And implicitly, "We can identify you wherever you are.".

I was in China a few years ago, didn't take fingerprints, iris, or face recognition. Just a routine passport check and that's it. I flew from Europe to Beijing, might be different if you fly from the US.

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#44

Post by jkestner »

bediger4000 wrote: post #29
quotemstr wrote: post #14

I'll take facial recognition over long TSA lines any day. I can't wait until we have full-throughput non-blocking walk-through security.

That will never happen. The long lines and inconveniences are the point, not a side effect. How many shoe bombers does the TSA catch in a day? 0. In a month? 0. Since the only shoe bomber? 0. We still take off our shoes. Same with underwear bombs. 0. We still partially undress and do the nude-a-tron. The point is, we could already ditch the lines, we don't want to.

This anti-tiger rock only costs $10 billion!

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#45

Post by jazzyjackson »

Zanni wrote: post #9

Serious question: why is this bad? Is it just the 3% false negative rate? I don't see the negative privacy implications of face recognition when the alternative is to present your face (via photo ID) anyway.

I enjoy traveling to Berlin for vacation, as it's a totally different atmosphere around privacy. Default payment is cash, your entry and exit from train stations is not tracked (surveilled perhaps, but you do not tap-in/tap-out or god forbid tap your credit card every time you step on a train like SF or NYC), and it's against the law to publish photographs of someone without their consent.

Ask IBM what becomes of databases full of people's names associated with their movements.

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#46

Post by [deleted] »

mistrial9 wrote: post #16
Zanni wrote: post #9

Serious question: why is this bad? Is it just the 3% false negative rate? I don't see the negative privacy implications of face recognition when the alternative is to present your face (via photo ID) anyway.

(American here) A quick search shows Pew Research, National Academies Press (associated with the Library Of Congress), AmericaUnderWatch dot com, Politico and Georgetown Law .. all with varying responses to this question. In the case of social structure and law, there are many layers, interwoven, and difficult or impossible to fit into chat-level responses.

[deleted]

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#47

Post by joezydeco »

MarkMarine wrote: post #4

For this to work they must have already done facial recognition on everyone’s ID photos, so I fail to see what opting out even does for me from a privacy perspective. Seems like shutting the barn door after the horse is already out.

The current program in limited beta test is called "TSA PreCheck Touchless".

So you need to be in TSA PreCheck, and you gave them your photo and fingerprints when you voluntarily enrolled in that program. They are probably using your passport biometrics if those are available as well.

https://www.tsa.gov/biometrics-technology/evaluating-facial-...

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#48

Post by pdonis »

xyst wrote: post #35

Abolish the TSA completely. Get back the billions in funds that are allocated for this security theatre. Unfortunately this will never happen

It will happen if enough voters make it clear to their elected representatives that they want them to repeal the laws passed after 9/11 that mandate the security screening that TSA does. I agree that's highly unlikely, but it was voters who clamored for those laws in the first place after 9/11, so it's voters that need to push for getting them repealed.

Re: Senators say TSA's facial recognition program is out of control

#49

Post by BadHumans »

jkestner wrote: post #41
BadHumans wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is it. I don't think I've opted out of it. I know I can but I know the agent is going to make a big deal of it and the line is already long for everyone behind me so whatever lets just get through it.

Nah. In my experience when you opt out, they say “Okay,” scan your ID the same way they’ve been doing for 20 years, and you get through in the same time. If they want to entice us with convenience, the facial recognition should allow you to just stroll through without talking to anyone.

I'll do it next time I'm flying to see what happens.
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