A precursor to a full-blown national surveillance state
Your face is your identity — unique, personal, and not for the government to track without cause. Anyone who values privacy, freedom, and civil rights should be opposed to the federal government's increasing, unchecked use of facial recognition technology.
At airports around the country, the Transportation Security Administration is deploying a facial recognition screening system to verify your identity.
The TSA program matches passengers' faces with their government ID on file without any proof of its effectiveness or ability to protect passenger privacy. That's a fast track into a surveillance state, and if we don't stop it now, we risk trading our fundamental rights for a false sense of security.
TSA claims participating in the facial recognition screening is optional, but I've personally experienced agents making it difficult to opt out.
I've been sounding the alarm for years: the TSA is on a path to mandate facial recognition technology for all American air travelers, eliminating the current opt-out system.
I've introduced bipartisan legislation to guard your privacy and block the TSA from using airports as a site to quietly build a national database of Americans' sensitive facial biometric data with no oversight. And I'm about to introduce legislation protecting your right to opt out of facial recognition!
We've seen the damage unchecked facial recognition technology does to privacy and freedom in other countries around the world — governments trample dissent, silence dissent, and monitor people's moves.
Let's not let that happen here. Join me in saying NO to the TSA using facial recognition in our airports.
Onward!
Jeff
