Facial recognition technology is being introduced aimed at speeding up the security screening process at TSA checkpoints at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration said in a news release this week that next-generation Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units can help verify travelers' identities more quickly and accurately than human agents matching a face with an identification.
Equipped with a camera that captures a real-time photo of a traveler, CAT-2 units compare the traveler's ID photo to the in-person photo using facial matching technology. The units go beyond first-generation machines that scan a traveler's photo ID, confirm that the person has a travel ticket and detect counterfeit IDs.
Biometric technology analyzes a person's unique facial features, such as the distance between the eyes and the curvature of the chin, according to REY5. Changes in appearance, such as facial hair or weight loss/gain, will not affect the technician's ability to make a match.
The TSA said photos captured by a CAT-2 unit “are never stored or used for any purpose other than immediate identity verification.” And travelers can opt out of the process and opt for an alternative identity verification process.
In 2021, the Port of Seattle Commission voted to ban the use of biometric technology for surveillance and security purposes by government and law enforcement at all of its properties, including SEA Airport. That ban did not include voluntary facial recognition systems.
The use of facial recognition technology and more widespread adoption of biometrics for air travel is spreading to more US airports. Earlier this year, The New York Times reported on the upcoming changes and cited experts who believe that “the future of air travel is one in which facial recognition will be used throughout the entire airport journey: baggage drop-off, boarding, even entry to lounges and purchasing items at retail stores within the airport ”.
Individual airlines are already taking action to speed up various processes.
Alaska Airways is transitioning to automated bag drop that uses facial recognition to identify passengers, streamlining the bag drop process and no longer requiring each station to staff Alaska agents.
Delta is experimenting with a Digital ID pilot program at four airports in which facial matching helps some travelers use dedicated security and bag drop lines without showing ID or boarding passes.
The TSA said SEA airport officers are in the process of training to use the CAT-2 machines and travelers will begin to see the units in use more frequently in the coming weeks.