Ah, the airport: The only place in America where barely-competent “law enforcement officers” can disrobe and grope you on the clock without fear of repercussion.
I’m talking, of course, about the TSA – those blue shirted goons who have yet to catch a single terrorist, and who have now snarled air travel with their inherent and incessant bureaucracy.
These agents of stagnancy have been effective only in complicating our experience when we look to travel, not only participating in the aforementioned groping, but also forcing us to remove our shoes and get a dose of radiation before boarding our plane.
The Department of Homeland Security appears to be getting in on the invasive fun now as well.
Federal officials are considering requiring that all travelers — including American citizens — be photographed as they enter or leave the country as part of an identification system using facial-recognition technology.
The Department of Homeland Security says it expects to publish a proposed rule next July. Officials did not respond to requests for more details.
Critics are already raising objections.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said Tuesday he will introduce legislation to block the plan and prohibit U.S. citizens from being forced to provide facial-recognition information. He said a recent data breach at Customs and Border Protection shows that Homeland Security can’t be trusted with the information.
Facial recognition is being tested by several airlines at a number of U.S. airports. American citizens are allowed to opt out of being photographed, although a 2017 audit by a federal watchdog agency found that few U.S. travelers exercised that right — barely more than one per flight.
There are certainly concerns regarding how this comports with Americans’ Fourth Amendment right to be free of unwarranted search and seizure, and there is little doubt that this invasive new process will find itself before a judge in the coming months.
