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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

#61

Post by sneak »

snakeyjake wrote: post #10
blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #2

I was shocked to see this program arrive in my local airport. I opt out every time, but the horrifying thing is that almost everyone simply complies with whatever is asked of them. The TSA agents use phrasing that make it seem like you are supposed to go through the facial recognition process and don’t have a choice. Yes, there are tiny signs scattered around that say you can opt out. But when the officer says “step…

Generally speaking you present ID to pass through security. The facial recognition is based on the biometric data collected when you got your ID, the ID you presented to pass through security. The ID with your name, address, date of birth, and uniquely identifying number on it. The ID which is associated with your boarding pass. The ID they scan (or they scan the boarding pass which is associated with your ID) prior…

It is more recent, multi angle, high res data. It allows their training data to be much better.

This "it changes nothing" attitude is unproductive.

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

#62

Post by jmward01 »

Yet again we accept the premise that we need 'more' security so it is OK to do these types of things. This implies without evidence that there is a problem and then jumps right to the, again, unfounded conclusion that this type of thing will solve that hypothetical issue. The discussion shouldn't be about how to do this 'responsibly', implicitly admitting that there is some sort of need, and instead it should be about how to dismantle things like this completely and how to stop new things like this from ever happening again.

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

#63

Post by sneak »

jazzyjackson wrote: post #45
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 dat…

It is not against the law to publish photographs of someone without their consent. People post me to Instagram without my consent in Berlin all of the time.

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

#64

Post by 0x457 »

mistercheph wrote: post #52
beej71 wrote: post #26

I also can't see the tracking difference between a human verifying your identity and entering that into a database and a computer verifying your identity and entering that into a database. But it's still a valid concern as to whether or not this new system is at least as secure and privacy-respecting as the old one.

Automation and scale? You can't imagine how technology that allows a small number of people to automatically surveil billions of people can enable horrors that would be more difficult if you needed to use a labor force of hundreds of thousands of humans?

What that has to do with TSA Checkpoint at the airport? How many people go to through that checkpoint isn't dictated by how automated it is - it's dictated by how many people are flying.

All this thing does it speeds up process of you getting through TSA.

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

#65

Post by sneak »

aaomidi wrote: post #58
tokai wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just remove TSA. Airport security provides nothing.

So I’ve heard this a lot, but how can we actually test this? The only realistic test I can imagine here is that the TSA shuts down for a decade and we see what happens?

They test the TSA with weapons and most get through. This means people don't wish to use weapons to hijack planes, or it would happen way more often and it doesn't.

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

#66

Post by financetechbro »

_yb2s wrote: post #36
blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #2

I was shocked to see this program arrive in my local airport. I opt out every time, but the horrifying thing is that almost everyone simply complies with whatever is asked of them. The TSA agents use phrasing that make it seem like you are supposed to go through the facial recognition process and don’t have a choice. Yes, there are tiny signs scattered around that say you can opt out. But when the officer says “step…

TSA will punish you for opting out of anything. If you're lucky, the least they will do is hold you up a long time so you have a good chance of missing your flight. I've also had them sexually harass me, and confiscate (e.g. steal) legal items in retaliation for opting out of things I had the legal right to opt out of. They know people are in a hurry and won't do anything about being treated unethically or illegally,…

Opting out of the face scanner is a totally different experience than opting out of the body scanner lol

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

#67

Post by kareemm »

bananapub wrote: post #3
blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #2

I was shocked to see this program arrive in my local airport. I opt out every time, but the horrifying thing is that almost everyone simply complies with whatever is asked of them. The TSA agents use phrasing that make it seem like you are supposed to go through the facial recognition process and don’t have a choice. Yes, there are tiny signs scattered around that say you can opt out. But when the officer says “step…

Americans can opt out.

Nope - Canadian here, opted out in Austin.

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

#68

Post by paxys »

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.

What makes you think this will make lines move any faster? The bottleneck has always been body/luggage scanning, and that isn't changing.

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

#69

Post by morpheuskafka »

I don't like TSA or the US security state, but I really find it hard to see why this has attracted so much attention. When you enter the airport, you're surrounded by cameras from numerous government and commercial entities, no doubt performing facial recognition. When you get to your destination, your photo will be taken by the destination country plus countless other surveillance cameras along the way. And unless you like long lines, you've already submitted fingerprints and yet another photo to TSA or CBP for precheck. Even if you didn't, all REAL IDs (except a foreign passport) require digital storage of the ID photo--that's what they are matching your face to at the checkpoint.

(During the pandemic, I had a job that let me--I mean, a friend of my choice--do my own e-verify/I-9 form. When you enter your passport number, the e-Verify system spits out a digital copy of the photo you sent it to prevent counterfeit or altered photos.)

I just don't understand how one more potato quality still capture of your face, that by definition is very similar to those they already have, changes the equation much.

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

#70

Post by paxys »

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

Unless you are implying having no security at airports whatsoever (which will never happen), abolishing TSA simply means replacing one central agency with hundreds/thousands of private security agencies and companies in every state and city, which will only increase costs.
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