Joco Today

U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and Jeff Merkley, along with a bipartisan group of colleagues, have raised concerns about the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) use of facial recognition technology at airports across the country. They are calling for an investigation by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari into the TSA's collection of facial biometric data.

The senators, including John Kennedy, Edward J. Markey, and Ted Cruz, expressed their worries in a letter as many Americans prepare to travel during the holiday season. "This technology will soon be in use at hundreds of major and mid-size airports without an independent evaluation of the technology’s precision or an audit of whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy," they wrote.

The TSA plans to introduce next-generation credential authentication technology (CAT) equipped with facial recognition at over 430 airports nationwide. The senators noted that the agency already uses CAT-1 scanners capable of identifying fraudulent identification documents without facial recognition. They pointed out that Congress has not been provided with evidence showing that facial recognition is necessary for catching fraudulent documents, reducing wait times, or preventing terrorists from boarding airplanes.

The senators also highlighted concerns about potential future mandates for this technology. "Despite promising lawmakers and the public that this technology is not mandatory, TSA has stated its intent to expand this technology beyond the security checkpoint and make it mandatory in the future," they stressed. TSA Administrator Pekoske admitted earlier this year that biometrics could become required across all checkpoints.

Senator Marshall has been vocal about his opposition to TSA's use of facial recognition technology. In 2023, he collaborated with Senator Merkley on the Traveler Privacy Protection Act aimed at banning such practices by TSA in U.S. airports.

Earlier this year, Senator Marshall joined other senators in urging Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell to address privacy issues related to this technology in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act.