Do You Opt Out Of TSA Facial Recognition?
Maybe I’m hopelessly jaded, but I’m happy to trade privacy for convenience when it comes to TSA secrity checkpoints at US airports. That said, the crusade of one U.S. Senator to remind Americans of their privacy rights is commendable, even if naive.
One U.S. Senator On A Crusade Against TSA Facial Recognition
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D – OR) has made a point of publicly holding the TSA accountable for facial recognition use. He had an opt-out incident at Washington National (DCA) where the agent initially told him he could not opt out, which runs contrary to TSA policy.
Over the last few months, he has repeatedly addressed the topic through a series of social media posts and Senate floor speeches.
Yes, you can opt out of facial recognition screening, even though the TSA promises that it deletes the photos after each use. And I don’t begrudge those who do that.
But call me jaded, but I don’t think there is any privacy in this world. Even in the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” everything is tracked. Every text message I send, website I visit, and dollar I spent on a credit card…we are all being watched.
Merkley is afraid of a federal government database that can be used to target citizens one day. Sir, I’m fairly sure that already exists on a very large scale. While I am thankful for the safeguards that still exist (though some seem more theoretical these days), I’m just happy to get through security in a few seconds and keep my shoes on and laptop in the bag. How about getting rid of that ridiculous liquid ban?
CONCLUSION
I’m not going to go political today because that doesn’t serve my business model, but I’ll just say that with all that is going on, the TSA taking my photo is one of the least of my concerns.
Kudos to Merkley for supporting civil liberties and safeguards against government overreach…that is something that every American should support. At the same time, I just want to get through that security checkpoint as soon as possible and programs like TSA Touchless ID make the process incredibly smooth. I’m thankful that security screenings have become far more efficient.
What are your thoughts on opt-out?
> Read More: TSA Touchless ID Will Put CLEAR Out Of Business