Privacy & New Media

Sept. 24, 2020

In a report, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General found that Customs and Border Protection failed to safeguard pictures of travelers obtained for a facial recognition pilot program, the Biometric Entry-Exit Program. The pictures were exposed in a data breach of a CBP subcontractor, Perceptics, LLC. OIG found that the CBP failed to undertake sufficient information security practices to prevent Perceptics from obtaining the data. At least 17 of the images were ultimately released on the dark web. EPIC leads an ongoing campaign to Ban Face Surveillance. In 2018 EPIC urged CBP to suspend its Biometric Entry-Exit Program. EPIC previously obtained documents on that program through a FOIA lawsuit.

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A report by the Government Accountability Office found that Customs and Border Protection needs to address privacy issues with the agency’s deployment of facial recognition technology at ports of entry. CBP currently deploys facial recognition at 27 airports as part of their Biometric Entry-Exit Program. The GAO found that CBP has not provided adequate privacy notices or information on opting out of facial recognition to the public. Additionally, the agency has failed to implement a plan to audit privacy compliance by airline partners involved in the program. EPIC has previously explained to Congress and the CBP that its Biometric Entry-Exit program unfairly burdens travelers exercising their rights to opt-out of facial recognition. EPIC has called on Congress to suspend facial recognition at airports and earlier this year urged the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to recommend the suspension of face surveillance systems across the federal government.

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<https://epic.org/2020/09/gao-report-cbp-needs-to-addres.html>

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