Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today released the following statement in response to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari launching an investigation into the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) use of facial biometric data:
“We only get one face, and everyone who values privacy, freedom, and civil rights should be concerned about the federal government’s increasing, unchecked use of facial recognition technology. Americans don’t want a national surveillance state, but right now, more Americans than ever before are having their faces scanned at the airport without being able to exercise their right to opt-out.
“I have long sounded the alarm about the TSA’s expanding use of facial recognition because the agency’s stated goal is to mandate this technology for all American air travelers, ending the current opt-out system. I’ll keep pushing for strong Congressional oversight to protect Americans against the dangers of a surveillance state powered by this technology and safeguard our fundamental right to privacy.”
Merkley led a bipartisan group of Senators in a letter urging Inspector General Cuffari to launch this investigation into the TSA’s use of facial recognition technology. Previously, he introduced the Ley de protección de la privacidad del viajero to restrict the use of facial recognition technology by the TSA at airports across the United States. Merkley also documented his propia experiencia de “exclusión voluntaria” de este programa opcional, traveling from D.C. to Portland.
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