Roy Blunt US Senator For Missouri: Blunt, Merkley Press For More Transparency Regarding Collection Of Americans' Biometric Data When Ent ...

Press release from Roy Blunt US Senator for Missouri:

January 10, 2022

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Jeff
Merkley (Ore.) sent a letter requesting more information from U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) on the use of facial recognition technology to collect
biometric data from U.S. citizens for entry-exit programs at airports,
seaports, and land borders.

In a letter sent to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, Blunt and
Merkley urged the agency for more transparency surrounding this program to help
ensure American travelers understand the process and their right to opt out of
the use of biometric facial recognition technology during reentry to the
country. CBP uses the technology to capture biometric data in all but 40
airports, impacting thousands of travelers a day. Blunt and Merkley are urging
the CBP to be more transparent in the way it informs citizens about their right
to opt out of the use of biometric facial recognition technology when collecting
identification information at our borders to ensure a safe, equitable, and
accurate process for Americans.

“While it is now common for American citizens to be told
their photo will be taken in order to proceed through the customs process,
countless Americans are not adequately informed about their ability to opt out
of this step,” the senators wrote. “Every U.S. citizen should have the
opportunity to make an informed decision whether to have their passport photo
manually verified by a CBP officer instead of having their biometric data
collected and stored in a manner with which they are not familiar.”

“Further, as you know, facial recognition technology is not
perfect. There have been reports that people of color and women are more likely
to be misidentified by this technology,” they continued. “While we understand
that CBP uses a distinct methodology that only compares biometric data against
manifest data, we would like more information about the process for individuals
who are flagged by this system. Every American deserves the same right to
privacy and should not undergo drastically different airport processing
experiences. Any use of biometric facial recognition technology by CBP should
come with policies to ensure that flagged individuals are treated in a safe,
fair, and noninvasive manner given the imperfection of facial recognition
software.”

Blunt and Merkley have asked the following questions for
clarification, requesting answers by February 11, 2022:

Click
here to read the letter.

This press release was produced by Roy Blunt US Senator for Missouri. The views expressed here are the author’s own.