Biometric scanning is now in effect in the United States. While some biometric requirements were already in effect, there is now a new requirement upon exiting the U.S.
According to Biometric Update, the U.S. Customs and Border protection (CBP) has advanced an interim final rule that ends a pilot program limiting the gathering of biometrics upon exiting the U.S. Previously, some noncitizen travelers were required to provide biometrics (namely, a photograph) at entry to the U.S., but biometrics on exit were limited to pilot programs at no more than 15 air and sea ports.
The new rule, Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry To and Exit From the United States, managed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, states:
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is required by statute to develop and implement an integrated, automated entry and exit data system to match records, including biographic data and biometrics of aliens entering and departing the United States. Although the current regulations provide that DHS may require certain aliens to provide biometrics when entering and departing the United States, they only authorize DHS to collect biometrics from certain aliens upon departure under pilot programs at land ports and at up to 15 airports and seaports. To provide the legal framework for CBP to begin a comprehensive biometric entry-exit system, DHS is amending the regulations to remove the references to pilot programs and the port limitation. In addition, to enable CBP to make the process for verifying the identity of aliens more efficient, accurate, and secure by using facial recognition technology, DHS is amending the regulations to provide that all aliens may be required to be photographed upon entry and/or departure.”
The traveler verification system is a cloud-based biometric system that captures the real-time images of travelers and checks them against the passport image and other images included in a gallery--things like visas and other DHS records. This facial comparison technology replaces the CBP agent doing this manually.
The technology used for this verification service costs anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 per airport departure gate. With larger airports having up to 200 gates and around 750 airports in the United States, that’s approximately 9-15,000 gates in the United States, not including sea travel. At $5,000 per system, that’s at least $50 million dollars to get this technology into every airport. Keep in mind this estimate is quite conservative, and chances are the actual cost will be much higher once additional needs and services are factored in.
New filings from the CBP show biometrics are being fully implemented at some land borders. The Simplified Arrival-Vehicle combines facial verification with license plate readers to give CBP more information.
How long will it be until this technology is implemented in full at all land and sea crossings, too? And if the technology is put in place for foreign travelers, how long until it is used for U.S. citizens as well?
This is all part of the wider, global rollout of Digital ID. For an overview of Digital ID, the current status of various programs around the world, and some solutions to this growing problem, download our new Digital ID Report.
This is a segment from #TBOT Show Episode 17. Watch the full episode here:
#TBOT 17: The Bright Side of a Govt. Shutdown, Digital ID in the UK/Europe, New U.S Biometric Rule, Windows 11 Woes, GrapheneOS New Phones
#TBOT 17: now with more crowdsourced stories! 🤩 Thanks to the #TBOT crew on Telegram!
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