U.S. Homeland Security Wants to Scan the Face of All Travelers

The plans are already being met with sharp criticism.

Say Cheese

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to propose regulations next July that would require all travelers to consent to face scans when entering or leaving the U.S., according to Reuters.

The idea is to cut down on the number of fraudulent uses of travel documents and help catch criminals and suspected terrorists. But unsurprisingly, the plans are already being met with sharp criticism.

"Travelers, including U.S. citizens, should not have to submit to invasive biometric scans simply as a condition of exercising their constitutional right to travel," senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union Jay Stanley told Reuters.

Big Brother

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the largest law enforcement arm of the DHS, has already been testing technologies that involve collecting biometric data from foreign travelers. According to a DHS report released in April, the CBP's Biometric Exit program will be dramatically be expanded to cover 97 percent of outbound passengers within four years at U.S. airports.

An even more controversial project first reported on by The Verge in 2018 involved U.S. border agents scanning faces of drivers at land crossings without even receiving consent first.

READ MORE: U.S. homeland security proposes face scans for citizens [Reuters]

More on biometric scans: US Airports Will Scan 97% of Outbound Flyers’ Faces Within 4 Years