A heated debate is currently taking place in Washington about the rate at which travelers should move through TSA security at airports. While most people want to get through security as quickly as possible, there are concerns about the technology being used at checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been actively implementing new technologies in an attempt to speed up the security process, but some of these technologies have been met with controversy.
One of the main points of contention is facial recognition technology, which is often the first thing travelers encounter at the security checkpoint. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has raised concerns about this technology and believes that travelers should have more flexibility to opt out of facial scans. He plans to propose an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act that could change how often the technology is used.
On the other hand, Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, supports TSA’s efforts to improve security and believes that rollbacks on technology would make travel less enjoyable with longer security lines. He also stresses that TSA allows travelers to opt out of scans and has committed to data protection. However, the debate on Capitol Hill could potentially halt the program. TSA officials have stated that photos of passengers are never saved except during a “limited testing environment for evaluation” of the technology.
