ACLU Sues Homeland Security Over Airport Face Recognition Program Secrecy
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in a New York federal court on Thursday, demanding that the agency turns over records to understand the scope of its airport face recognition system. The group wants to know who Homeland Security works with -- including private companies and airlines -- as well as internal policies and guidance on how the system is used. The face recognition system is part of a recent government initiative to scan the faces of travelers both arriving and departing the United States. Homeland Security claims the system will help crack down on immigration violations, such as visitors overstaying their visas. Although U.S. citizens can opt-out of having their faces scanned, it's not always openly advertised. Already more than a dozen U.S. airports have already rolled out the face scanning technology, with many more to go before the U.S. government hits its target of enrolling the largest 20 airports in the country by 2021.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in a New York federal court on Thursday, demanding that the agency turns over records to understand the scope of its airport face recognition system. The group wants to know who Homeland Security works with -- including private companies and airlines -- as well as internal policies and guidance on how the system is used. The face recognition system is part of a recent government initiative to scan the faces of travelers both arriving and departing the United States. Homeland Security claims the system will help crack down on immigration violations, such as visitors overstaying their visas. Although U.S. citizens can opt-out of having their faces scanned, it's not always openly advertised. Already more than a dozen U.S. airports have already rolled out the face scanning technology, with many more to go before the U.S. government hits its target of enrolling the largest 20 airports in the country by 2021.