The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the beginning of its testing of facial comparison technology Monday at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The agency will require passengers to present their boarding passes while a digital photo is taken of them. This procedure will occur before passengers enter the loading bridge connected to the plane. Once the photo is taken, CBP will compare the image to a previously provided photo of the passenger.
The digital images taken at the airport will be held in a secure data system for a post-departure evaluation. U.S. passport holders will not have their data stored once it is confirmed that they are who they say they are. The photos and data will be deleted after the evaluation according to CBP, in order to protect travelers’ privacy.
“As CBP works towards deploying a comprehensive biometric exit system, it is important that we continue to test available technology and our systems capabilities,” said deputy executive assistant commissioner of field operations John Wagner in a statement. “Our goal remains to implement a biometric exit system that conforms with existing standard operating procedures so that the incorporation of biometrics has minimal impact to airlines, airports, and the traveling public.
For now, this test will only affect one flight per day going from the U.S. to Japan until September 30, but CBP is planning and conducting new biometric technologies in multiple environments in 2016. CBP currently relies on biometric screenings such as digital fingerprints to secure the border. The Department of Homeland Security says it is committed to implementing new biometric exit technologies by 2018.
