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The amount of misinformation and fear mongering here is staggering. The article is posted by an anti-surveillance publication, so I guess the skewed perspective

The amount of misinformation and fear mongering here is staggering. The article is posted by an anti-surveillance publication, so I guess the skewed perspective makes sense. I understand and agree with the fear of it being a slippery slope. I'm concerned about facial recognition becoming a regular part of surveillance in everyday life, and I hope that there is legislation around this TSA rollout that strictly prohibits their database from being used for non-airport related purposes. Here's how the system is designed to work at full implementation. This is based on a briefing I had about 6 months ago, so I imagine it's still along the lines of what they're planning. You get to airport security with your cary-on. You walk up to a kiosk to scan your face. When you booked your flight, they essentially did a background check on you, and if it was clean you just walk through to the terminal, with minimally-invasive scanning that doesn't require any stopping or removing anything from your bag. If something did come up on your background check (mainly a conviction for a violent crime or a pattern of information that suggests possible ties to terrorism... one of the TSA's goals behind this system is do screening based on suspicious activity rather than profiling) you go through what essentially is the TSA experience today.

sdrothrock 8y ago
> You get to airport security with your cary-on. You walk up to a kiosk to scan your face. When you booked your flight, they essentially did a background check on you, and if it was clean you just walk through to the terminal, with minimally-invasive scanning that doesn't require any stopping or removing anything from your bag. That's a pretty attractive sales proposition there; it's really hard for me as an individual to argue against the reduced hassle (and essentially a return to pre-2001 boarding patterns) in return for them having access to data they can realistically already get. Japan takes pictures and fingerprints from people as they arrive; this doesn't seem too much different, just the direction. I wonder if this could also be expanded to people without boarding passes. I know a lot of people mourn the loss of the ability to go directly to the gate to meet or see off family.
- camillomiller 8y ago
  They take pictures and fingerprints of foreigners when you arrive in the USA as well. I hope no families at the gates will be allowed. People are already clueless about how to properly cue and board a plane. As a frequent flyer it is beyond irritating. Families or friends at the gate would just make things even worse. Plus, letting them in without a boarding pass is just a way to add insecurity variables to the airport experience for no reason but the movie-like romantic idea of airport goodbyes.
  - whatshisface 8y ago
    Direct experience from when they were able to come to the gates overrides any speculation about what they "would" do. It's simply not a problem.
    - SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
      Surely they all need to come through the security screening, though? So suddenly the (already far too long) lines are 2-4x longer. Just say your goodbyes before security, it's really not as issue.
      - camillomiller 8y ago
        It’s a weird custom that I’ve seen only in American movies and that was ever probably true only for American airports. It’s not an issue indeed and I think Americans are as usual a bit myopic in pretending that a cultural experience is globally recognized. Feel free to downvote this (true) generalization.
- tapland 8y ago
  Yes, the US also collects fingerprints from people arriving and have for at least a decade. (Just informational without a huge rant about people having friends and family)
hnaccy 8y ago
>I understand and agree with the fear of it being a slippery slope. It's not a question, we're sliding down the slope.
viraptor 8y ago
> You walk up to a kiosk to scan your face. When you booked your flight, they essentially did a background check on you, and if it was clean you just walk through to the terminal This may be really cynical, but... I bet we'll get news like "our tests were based on our employees and we're surprised the system fails for black people / asians / ..." fairly soon after first implementation. So many large companies fail on this, I don't have high expectations for TSA.
- Klathmon 8y ago
  Or worse, "Our database was compromised".
caconym_ 8y ago
This is more frightening than the implications of the article and all the comments I've seen here so far. To be clear, what you're describing is a system for triggering asynchronous, automated "background checks" (no doubt based on a secret methodology) against Americans, the results of which will then be applied at biometric checkpoints and used to justify taking individuals into custody for "further screening". Do you understand the implications of a government using such a system against its citizens? Do you really think the TSA will effectively prevent other actors from using their database? Even if they do, do you think this model and precedent won't be exploited by other actors? FFS, they're already talking about ripping off the photos we have to have taken for our regular state-issued IDs.
- pjc50 8y ago
  > automated "background checks" (no doubt based on a secret methodology) against Americans, the results of which will then be applied at biometric checkpoints and used to justify taking individuals into custody for "further screening" This is exactly the current system, but the current system puts a human instead of the biometric system. See all the business of "SSSS" stamps on boarding passes.
crististm 8y ago
What I understand is that background checks of every traveler is absolutely necessary for safe flights. Is this what you say?
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
  I'm with you. Someone could cause a huge amount of death, damage and destruction by blowing up a bus or subway train, and yet these have zero security and work just fine. How come everyone gets hysterical when it comes to flying?
  - josephpmay 8y ago
    I generally agree with you, but the justification is basically the 9/11 effect: If a bomb goes off in a subway train or bus, the people in that vehicle die. If an airplane crashes into a building, significantly more people could die.

sdrothrock 8y ago

> You get to airport security with your cary-on. You walk up to a kiosk to scan your face. When you booked your flight, they essentially did a background check on you, and if it was clean you just walk through to the terminal, with minimally-invasive scanning that doesn't require any stopping or removing anything from your bag. That's a pretty attractive sales proposition there; it's really hard for me as an individual to argue against the reduced hassle (and essentially a return to pre-2001 boarding patterns) in return for them having access to data they can realistically already get. Japan takes pictures and fingerprints from people as they arrive; this doesn't seem too much different, just the direction. I wonder if this could also be expanded to people without boarding passes. I know a lot of people mourn the loss of the ability to go directly to the gate to meet or see off family.

camillomiller 8y ago
They take pictures and fingerprints of foreigners when you arrive in the USA as well. I hope no families at the gates will be allowed. People are already clueless about how to properly cue and board a plane. As a frequent flyer it is beyond irritating. Families or friends at the gate would just make things even worse. Plus, letting them in without a boarding pass is just a way to add insecurity variables to the airport experience for no reason but the movie-like romantic idea of airport goodbyes.
- whatshisface 8y ago
  Direct experience from when they were able to come to the gates overrides any speculation about what they "would" do. It's simply not a problem.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
    Surely they all need to come through the security screening, though? So suddenly the (already far too long) lines are 2-4x longer. Just say your goodbyes before security, it's really not as issue.
    - camillomiller 8y ago
      It’s a weird custom that I’ve seen only in American movies and that was ever probably true only for American airports. It’s not an issue indeed and I think Americans are as usual a bit myopic in pretending that a cultural experience is globally recognized. Feel free to downvote this (true) generalization.
tapland 8y ago
Yes, the US also collects fingerprints from people arriving and have for at least a decade. (Just informational without a huge rant about people having friends and family)

hnaccy 8y ago

>I understand and agree with the fear of it being a slippery slope. It's not a question, we're sliding down the slope.

viraptor 8y ago

> You walk up to a kiosk to scan your face. When you booked your flight, they essentially did a background check on you, and if it was clean you just walk through to the terminal This may be really cynical, but... I bet we'll get news like "our tests were based on our employees and we're surprised the system fails for black people / asians / ..." fairly soon after first implementation. So many large companies fail on this, I don't have high expectations for TSA.

Klathmon 8y ago
Or worse, "Our database was compromised".

caconym_ 8y ago

This is more frightening than the implications of the article and all the comments I've seen here so far. To be clear, what you're describing is a system for triggering asynchronous, automated "background checks" (no doubt based on a secret methodology) against Americans, the results of which will then be applied at biometric checkpoints and used to justify taking individuals into custody for "further screening". Do you understand the implications of a government using such a system against its citizens? Do you really think the TSA will effectively prevent other actors from using their database? Even if they do, do you think this model and precedent won't be exploited by other actors? FFS, they're already talking about ripping off the photos we have to have taken for our regular state-issued IDs.

pjc50 8y ago
> automated "background checks" (no doubt based on a secret methodology) against Americans, the results of which will then be applied at biometric checkpoints and used to justify taking individuals into custody for "further screening" This is exactly the current system, but the current system puts a human instead of the biometric system. See all the business of "SSSS" stamps on boarding passes.

crististm 8y ago

What I understand is that background checks of every traveler is absolutely necessary for safe flights. Is this what you say?

SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
I'm with you. Someone could cause a huge amount of death, damage and destruction by blowing up a bus or subway train, and yet these have zero security and work just fine. How come everyone gets hysterical when it comes to flying?
- josephpmay 8y ago
  I generally agree with you, but the justification is basically the 9/11 effect: If a bomb goes off in a subway train or bus, the people in that vehicle die. If an airplane crashes into a building, significantly more people could die.