Port to use facial recognition technology

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday announced it will begin using facial comparison technology at the San Luis Port of Entry for pedestrians.

The facial comparison technology will take photographs of pedestrians entering the United States and compare those images to the photos associated with the travel documents the travelers present, a CBP press release stated.

The use of the technology will help inform the agency on next steps to developing and implementing biometric entry/exit in the land border pedestrian environment.

“Similar to how this technology has had a positive impact on traffic flow in the air environment, we anticipate the same in the pedestrian environment,” said Petra Horne, acting director of field operations, CBP Tucson Field Office, in a written statement.

As part of the technological demonstration, a camera will be placed at the processing booth that will automatically take a photo as a traveler approaches. The CBP officer will then review and query the traveler’s travel document, which will retrieve the photo from government holdings. The photo of the traveler will be compared to the travel document photo.

It is not mandatory for U.S. citizens to have their photo taken. If they wish to undergo alternative screening procedures, they should advise the CBP officer when they approach primary.

CBP is committed to its privacy obligations and has taken steps to safeguard the privacy of all travelers. CBP has employed strong technical security safeguards and has limited the amount of personally identifiable information used in the new biometric process, the agency reported.

Photos of U.S. citizens will be deleted after an individual is matched to a U.S. citizenship document. CBP will not retain photos of U.S. citizens. Photos of foreign nationals will be stored in a secure DHS system, CBP reported.

Facial biometrics will improve CBP’s entry and exit identification of travelers, which will enhance CBP’s ability to secure the border, identify persons of interest, and improve reporting and analysis of travelers entering and departing the United States, a press release stated.

This technology demonstration is a direct result of recommendations from the 9/11 Commission, and addresses congressional mandates to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens.