There are bipartisan concerns across Congress that the Department of Homeland Security is implementing biometric applications, in particular facial recognition, that increasingly involve the American public without educating the public and providing them with options to opt out, congressional staffers said earlier this month.
There are also concerns that DHS is adopting biometrics technologies “without really meaningfully engaging with Congress,” Rosaline Cohen, chief counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee, said during a congressional panel discussion at the Connect:ID conference. She also said that “I’m not sure our members understand where the American public is on biometrics. That’s one of the big challenges here.”
Another staffer, Forrest McConnell, the general counsel for the committee’s Republican minority, said that “Congress is sold on the technical capability” of biometrics technology, but noted that issues need to be addressed “with certain populations” before these applications are fully implemented. McConnell was alluding to issues of accuracy with certain populations.
Cohen also said there are concerns regarding where the biometric data goes after it is collected and what other uses, such as commercia, it may be applied to and if people’s movements are being tracked.
Americans want a “comfort level with what these programs are and why they’re in place” and that they have options. This is “important because we think the ultimate success of these program is going to have to have Americans’ buy in but if we don’t have conversations with them then it’s a real lost opportunity.”
Michelle Woods, senior policy advisor with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said more open pilots at airports with biometric technologies, in particular facial recognition, would help the public become more familiar with the technology and also educate them about opting out.
McConnell also said that DHS and industry need to solve issues of redress with biometrics so that a person who isn’t on a government watchlist can clear their name if they are confused with a person who is on a watchlist as a potential threat. Congress hasn’t seen “this level of maturity on how the backend can deal with redress,” he said.
Woods agreed that redress is a concern and said it would be worthwhile for DHS to invite congressional delegations to discuss this and other issues so that members of Congress and provide more information to their constituents.
Customs and Border Protection since 9/11 has relied on using fingerprints on arriving foreign nationals to the U.S. to protect against fraud and deception. However, the agency is rolling out processes that rely on facial recognition for all travelers departing from the U.S. on international flights and arriving to the U.S. on international flights. The use of this technology is increasingly touching American citizens in addition to foreign nationals.
The Transportation Security Administration is looking to piggyback on CBP’s efforts, first to use facial recognition at its security checkpoints for international travelers before evaluating the technology with its PreCheck trusted traveler population.