TSA unveils facial recognition technology at Buffalo airport

Like the equipment it replaces, the credential authentication technology, called CAT-2, scans travelers’ photo ID and confirms their identity and flight status, but it is also equipped with a camera capable of capturing a real-time photo of the traveler.

“This latest technology allows us to track who is boarding flights,” said Bart R. Johnson, federal security director for TSA in upstate New York.

At the TSA checkpoint, CAT-2 units have cameras on tablets that take a photo of the traveler. The technology then compares the photo on the traveler’s identification document – ​​whether a driver’s license or passport – with their photo in real time. The contactless unit allows passengers to insert their ID into a slot for verification to speed up the process.

CAT-2 units have a “library” of programmed credentials that allow the technology to authenticate more than 2,500 different types of credentials, including passports, common military access cards, trusted traveler identity from the Department of Homeland Security, uniformed services identification cards, permanent resident cards, U.S. visas, driver’s licenses and photo IDs issued by state motor vehicle departments.

During the summer, Buffalo Airport sees an increase in passengers, averaging 7,000 to 7,500 passengers per day, said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman. On May 24, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, a record number of passengers were screened by TSA at airports across the country, with 2.95 million people, the highest in the 22-year history of the TSA, Farbstein added.

“We expect that to increase at some point over the summer,” she said. “It takes about the same amount of time to use this new technology, about three to five seconds to exonerate someone. We’re really looking for fraudulent IDs.”

Once the material matches the photos, the TSA agent performs the check and the traveler is allowed to pass through the checkpoint without having to show a boarding pass. The real-time photo is then deleted.

The technology also helps detect possible passenger-related inconsistencies, including dates of birth, expiration dates and biometric data. If officers encounter a fraudulent ID, they will seek assistance from law enforcement to verify the identity of the person carrying the document.

Travelers can refuse to have their photo taken and request another identity verification process. The tablet screen shows the camera is off while the agent is still scanning the traveler’s ID card to check flight status, name and date of birth. The agents then verify the identity of the traveler using the photo on the identity document.

Before TSA screening, travelers are still required to check in with their airline in advance and present their boarding pass at the designated gate to board a flight.

CAT technology has its critics, as the Associated Press reports, as many people worry about bias from facial recognition technology and possible repercussions for passengers who don’t want their photos taken.

In February 2023, five U.S. senators – four Democrats and one independent – ​​urged the agency to end the program, fearing it would exacerbate racial discrimination via letter.

The AP reported that the TSA denied discrimination based on age, gender, race and ethnicity.

A 2023 TSA report said the agency screened more than 858 million passengers and deployed more than 2,000 CAT and CAT-2 machines nationwide.