Comment by Hnrobert42
2 days ago
I used to always opt out at TSA checkpoints. Then I decided that of all places, the airport makes the most sense to use biometrics. I mean, a human comparing my face to my ID is functionally equivalent.
What scares me about TSA using it is that it normalizes its use. Next it's at stadiums. Then Wegmans. If it would stop at airports, then I would be okay with it.
> a human comparing my face to my ID is functionally equivalent
Not at all? A human isn't committing you to long term memory let alone entering a detailed sketch into a centralized database.
No. TSA deletes the information it captures after 24 hours.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/does-t...
Regardless of the fact that they can simply lie to you, it doesn't say that. The question is "Does TSA protect all data (e.g., photos)...?" What does protect mean? The stated common case is that a photo is ephemeral and is removed (from where?) after it is used. Now, they're using it for facial recognition. They didn't get a facial recognition system by deleting photos, so we know based on the premise that some representation of the data in the photo (your likeness) exists in persistent form.
But that's just generous reading, anyway. There are so many ambiguities that it's not really worth the trouble to attempt any rigorous analysis of it.
"In rare instances TSA will collect and temporarily retain photos and data..." How rare? Doesn't matter: then what happens?
"...data collection mode events are limited in time and place..." Damn unrelenting spacetime.
"TSA’s facial comparison technologies adhere to DHS and TSA cybersecurity requirements." Restatement of the problem.
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Humans forget. The TSA allegedly deletes your photo, but they're quiet about the rest of the data they collected from that photo.