Posted on 12/22/2017 1:11:48 AM PST by fluorescence
As Americans pack their bags for holiday travel, a new report is raising key questions about a pilot program that scans the faces of international travelers.
The report, from Georgetown Laws Center on Privacy and Technology, criticizes the scope and execution of Homeland Securitys biometric exit pilot program. The program, currently running at nine airports around the country, uses facial recognition technology to identify passengers leaving on international flights. Homeland Security says the program, which it plans to expand, can catch travelers fraudulently using another persons personal documents.
But the report questions whether Homeland Security is vested with the power to build a program that scans Americans faces without approval from Congress, and says the program stands on shaky legal ground. The report says the agency also failed to follow proper federal procedures when creating the program.
The report also questions whether Homeland Security is correctly measuring the effectiveness of the program. The agency, according to the report, is hoping the program accurately accepts 96 percent of travelers with proper documentation, but its unclear how accurately the program can catch travelers attempting to leave with the wrong documents. The report also notes that facial recognition systems have frequently been shown to have biases against certain groups of people, and its unclear whether the biometric system is prone to flagging people based on their race or gender.
In response to the report, Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Mike Lee have sent a letter to Homeland Security requesting more information and data on the program. [P]otential flaws with this biometric technology raise a number of questions, especially since no perfectly accurate biometric scanning program currently exists, the lawmakers write.
Homeland Security is a stupid name.
You look familiar.
Do you have a twin sister?
...Homeland Securitys controversial airport face-scanners could be inaccurate or unlawful...
That’s never stopped any government program, has it?
That sounds bogus to me, more like one of those "facts" that liberals love to dredge up to support their claims without any evidentiary basis whatsoever.
[P]otential flaws with this biometric technology raise a number of questions, especially since no perfectly accurate biometric scanning program currently exists, the lawmakers write.
No technology is ever perfect. That is why there is always need for a human to oversee the process.
As the old saying goes, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of good." These lawmakers, a Democrat and a NeverTrumper, insist on the perfect as a way to avert the good.
There will be a lot of false “matches.” What do they care? Now they have an excuse to pull you from the line and torture you. (OK, they call it “questioning.”)
Relax. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that they need one more person, you, to turn into a sheep, if you’re not a sheep already. Resistance is futile. Show impatience and they’ll check your cavities, and not those in your teeth.
Already the fascists use the excuse that the “dog indicated.” The dog stopped near you and gave the signs of you having bad things. (The dog just wanted his treat.) So you get the anal exam thanks to Fido. Thanks to Bowser your computer will be examined. What’s that? Oh, that’s the announcement for final boarding for your flight. You don’t get to fly today.
All in the interest of creating a generation of compliant sheep.
F*ck that.
I read a story yesterday saying someones advanced facial scanner wasnt working on Chinese people, because, to the computer, they all look the same.
No joke!
LOL; I saw this headline and thought exactly the same thing!
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