HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Security checkpoints at the Richmond International Airport have begun using facial recognition technology to confirm the validity of travelers’ identification that confirms their flight information.
According to a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), this form of technology is called Credential Authentication Technology.
The second generation of this technology that is currently in use is designed to capture a real-time photo of the traveler, scan a traveler’s photo identification and confirm the traveler’s identity and their flight details.
The technology is being used on tablets, which are touchless, meaning that passengers insert their ID without the need to hand it to a TSA officer.
“The technology enhances detection capabilities for identifying fraudulent documents at the security checkpoint. The photos are not saved and are only used to match the person standing at the travel document checking podium with the photo on the ID that is being presented,” the spokesperson said.
Travelers still need to check-in with their airline in advance and bring their boarding pass to their gate to show the airline representative before boarding their flight.
Travelers who do not wish to participate in the facial matching process can opt out in favor of an alternative identity verification process, according to the spokesperson.
