Senators introduce bipartisan legislation ending involuntary facial recognition screening

Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced bipartisan legislation on Wednesday to end involuntary facial recognition screening at airports. 

The pair of senators are aiming to repeal the authorization of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to use facial recognition screening at airports, saying that the Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act (TPPA) would prevent the agency from “further exploiting the technology and storing traveler’s biodata.” The senators added that most Americans are unaware that they can opt out of the screening.

“Every day, TSA scans thousands of Americans’ faces without their permission and without making it clear that travelers can opt out of the invasive screening. The Traveler Privacy Protection Act would protect every American from Big Brother’s intrusion by ending the facial recognition program,” Kennedy said in a statement.

The proposed legislation would ban the TSA from expanding its program and require the agency to receive congressional authorization to use the technology in the future. It would also require the TSA to dispose of the facial biometrics.

“The TSA program is a precursor to a full-blown national surveillance state. Nothing could be more damaging to our national values of privacy and freedom. No government should be trusted with this power,” Merkley said.

Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were also co-sponsors of the legislation.

The TSA announced its pilot facial recognition program earlier this year at 16 airports across the country. The agency maintained that the program is voluntary, but critics raised concerns at the time about the use of the technology and the data it could collect.

Travelers at airports with the pilot program place their driver’s license into a slot that reads the card or press their passport photo against a card reader. The travelers then look into a camera on a screen, which takes a photo of their face and compares it to their ID photo.