TSA scanning faces at Detroit Metro Airport; privacy advocates doubt it's worth the convenience
ROMULUS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – The TSA may want to scan your face the next time you fly out of Detroit Metro Airport.
DTW is one of 16 airports in the country trying out the equipment at its security checkpoints.
The TSA is rolling the facial recognition technology just in time for the summer travel season. It aims to get travelers through security faster.
But privacy advocates aren't sure the added convenience is worth it.
The device is deployed at three checkpoints inside DTW's McNamara Terminal, ensuring travelers are who they say they are.
All they do is walk up, put in their ID, and look straight into the camera.
"Once you submit your ID, you're going to get the photo comparison that's on the ID versus the real-time photo. And then, of course, the machine is going to provide to the officer instructions on whether the match has been confirmed or not," Reginald Stephens, Federal Security Director for TSA Michigan, said.
Every day about 1,500 to 2,000 passengers flying out of DTW use the so-called 'credential authentication technology.'
According to Stephens, the main goal is to save time versus doing it the old fashion way.
"So you would have your boarding pass, you'd have your id, you'd have to hand it off, and the officer would have to review–use manual lights and loops to conduct analysis. And this is just simply inserting your ID, taking a photo, and being all set within six seconds or less," Stephens said.
But privacy advocates are wary of the pilot program that began earlier this year.
"There's no overarching law in place at this point to regulate the use of facial recognition. We really should be taking a step back and thinking about the future consequences of moving forward with a technology like this and using it in this way," Jeramie Scott, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told CBS News Detroit.
But Stephens says TSA does not store passengers' photos.
"TSA is committed to protecting passengers' privacy. And so, as one point, I'd like to highlight and emphasize the process is totally voluntary. So if a passenger wants to, they can opt out for an alternative verification process," Stephens said.
Something Tawana Petty with the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition says she couldn't do when she encountered the technology at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., on May 10.
"I felt deflated. The line was super long. I'm walking on a cane currently. I did not feel in a position to challenge what I was being told by the TSA agents," Petty said.
Five U.S. senators asked the TSA to stop the program in February, citing risks to civil liberties and privacy rights.
"There isn't anything that's protecting the public, especially minoritized communities and marginalized communities, from this being leveraged against us in nefarious ways," Petty said.
Currently, there's no a set end date for the pilot program or if it'll become a permanent fixture.
