Government use of facial recognition technology extends well beyond warrantless snooping. It’s also the big new thing at some of the nation’s busiest airports. But what many passengers don’t know, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reluctant to state loud and clear: such scans are voluntary, and you don’t have to subject yourself to one before heading to the gate.
Or at least that’s what’s supposed to happen. The reality is a bit messier, as The Washington Post reports:
Tawana Petty, who has campaigned against police use of facial recognition software, said she was also flying out of Reagan National Airport in May and asked the TSA agent if it was optional to use the facial recognition camera at security.
The agent said it was required, according to Petty.
With a flight to catch and a line of people stacked up, Petty said she was reluctant to push back and went along with the facial recognition screening.
This could be a simple fix – educating all TSA agents that facial recognition really is voluntary, and there will be no delays if you refuse to participate.
But that takes time, effort…and reinforcement. Things like unmistakable signage in airports that such scans aren’t required and opt-in out won’t cause delays.
But clear signs written in plain language has never been a hallmark of government bureaucracy:
The TSA’s airport signs might not use the words “facial recognition,” but might refer to use of “digital identity verification technology” or “biometric identity verification technology.”
In other words, the TSA’s default language is bureaucratese.
Which makes complete sense if we recall what George Orwell wrote about political language: it’s “designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
Few statements more thoroughly capture the essence and intention of the TSA’s “biometric identification technology.”
Except perhaps the late George Carlin in this earthy, honest monologue about euphemisms. Yeah – the TSA isn’t taking voluntary biometric information. It’s taking your mug shot.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Biometric fears:
Abuse
Get into a Dbase for abuse
On file
Scary
Beyond TSA