passport at airport

Customs and Border Protection Lays Out Plans to Expand Use of Facial Recognition Technology

The agency is looking for contractors that would “transform” its passenger processing systems and integrate facial recognition into “all passenger applications.”

Facial recognition technology has already made its way into American airports through airline kiosks and customs lines that use the software to identify travelers. Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is laying out its plans to expand its use of the technology and streamline its passenger processing procedures.

The agency published more details about its plans to use biometrics to identify people entering and leaving the country in a RFQ (request for quote) released to potential contractors last week. CBP is calling for contractors to provide technology to help transform the way it processes travelers and “significantly reduce” the need for its officers to concentrate on data entry and examining passengers’ travel documents.

CBP also wants to move its processing system to the cloud, stating its priority of developing an “integrated cloud migration and infrastructure modernization action plan” for all of its services. According to FedScoop, the RFQ suggests that work on the contract will begin in December and potentially last through May 2025 to the tune of up to $960 million.

“The paradigm will evolve from biographic data focused to biometric data centric,” the agency writes. “CBP will identify travelers biometrically based on information already in CBP holdings as an alternative to having the traveler present their travel document. A biometric-based approach allows threats to be pushed-out further beyond our borders before travelers arrive to the U.S.”

The company who wins the contract should be prepared to integrate facial recognition technology throughout “all passenger applications,” according to the RFQ. In addition, CBP envisions the expanded use of mobile technology, including an application that would allow officers to admit or refer travelers with a “single touch point.”

“CBP envisions expanded use of public facing self-service web-based and native mobile applications by travelers in all stages of the travel process,” the proposal reads.

As FedScoop notes, CBP is already using facial recognition through its Biometric Exit Program, which uses airline manifest data and government passport and visa databases to create a system of existing photos expected to come into or depart the country. That system matches photos taken during the boarding process against the database of government photos.

But CBP clearly wants to do more with facial recognition, floating the possibility of replacing Global Entry kiosks⁠ ⁠— which allow pre-vetted travelers to enter the country without waiting in line to speak to a customs officer ⁠— with a biometric system.

Read more: Travelers With 'Malicious Intent' Could Abuse Global Entry System, Report Finds

Despite recent criticism of government use of the technology, facial recognition technology has already been rolled out at least 16 airports across the country and has shown little sign of slowing down, Nextgov reported. CBP officials have praised the software for giving them the ability to verify passenger identity with 98 percent accuracy at a much faster speed than traditional methods.

John Wagner, the CBP’s deputy executive assistant commissioner, told Nextgov that travelers are always aware that their picture is being taken and that the software is only used in areas of airports where passengers already need to show identification.

“The biometric really becomes as simple as validating the information we've already received,” Wagner said. “There's no new information we're requiring of a person other than taking their photograph and comparing it to a photograph they've already given us.”

Featured

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.