U.S. Customs Wants to Use Your Face As a Boarding Pass
Getting through an airport without a passport or boarding pass may only seem possible in the nostalgic memories of 20th-century travelers, but an initiative at Customs and Border Protection could make that bygone convenience a modern reality.
CBP is testing biometric facial recognition at airports across the country in the hopes that a simple photo shoot will one day replace the process of verifying travel documents, which can often be time-consuming and susceptible to human error. The agency recently kicked off a joint facial recognition initiative with the Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport.
The facial recognition technology would streamline the travel process and increase security at the border by matching passengers’ photos with the documents they present, said Colleen Manaher, the executive director of planning, program analysis and evaluation at CBP’s Office of Field Operations.
