Even at the airports using the new technology, travelers will still need to carry their physical passports, in case they’re directed to a border officer for extra verification.
Privacy concerns
A majority of travelers are in favor of using biometrics to speed up the airport experience. A whopping 75 percent of passengers would rather use biometric data instead of passports, according to a 2022 survey by IATA, an aviation trade group.
But while the biometric technology could make the airport process more seamless, its expansion is cause for concern among some privacy experts. “One of the main privacy concerns with this type of program is how long the data is stored and whether it is shared with third parties, such as law enforcement or other contractors,” says Alex Alben, who teaches privacy and cybersecurity law at the UCLA School of Law. “Before registering for Smart Gates, users should be clear as to how their images will be used.”
How long the UK government retains travelers’ biometric data, including facial scans and fingerprints, depends on whether they are a citizen or a visitor. Under the British Nationality Act of 1981, the Secretary of State has the power to retain a facial photograph until an individual is issued with a UK passport, per the government’s visas and immigration website. If they are a UK citizen, officials must delete or block access to facial photographs on the immigration and nationality computer systems, but can retain the images in the HM Passport Office as part of the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System (IABS), according to the UK government website.
In the US, Customs and Border Protection says it stores its facial scan images of US citizens for only 12 hours, and that’s “only for continuity of operations purposes.” But the majority of non-citizens are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s Biometric Identity Management System, “as a biometric confirmation of entry or departure and retains the photos for up to 75 years,” according to the agency.
“Retaining travelers’ biometrics in a centralized database elevate the chances of a data breach,” says Jeramie D. Scott, senior counsel & director for the EPIC Project on Surveillance Oversight. “If the use of facial recognition continues to become more widespread then the likelihood of a data breach will increase as well as the likely harm created by that breach.”
A breach of travelers’ biometric data could allow criminals to break into victims’ accounts, putting travelers at risk of identity theft. “If images are stolen by hackers, then a very powerful means of identification will fall into the wrong hands,” Alben says.
Additionally, this type of facial recognition gate could be more of a hassle for some travelers than others, according to research on the software. “Various studies have shown that many facial recognition algorithms do not work as well on women and people with darker skin,” Scott says. “This means that the harms or inconveniences created by misidentifications will likely disproportionately impact women and people of color.”
