US plan to fully implement biometric scans at Orlando renew privacy fears

A joint plan by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Florida’s Orlando International Airport (MCO) to accelerate deployment of biometric facial recognition scans on every passenger arriving or departing on international flights at the airport is reviving privacy concerns. Orlando would be the first US airport to fully implement the procedures, although a completion date for the process remains unspecified. June 21 the CBP said it was teaming with the aviation authority that oversees the Orlando airport to “commit to processing all arriving and departing international travellers with facial recognition technology … to advance the biometric exit mandate.” However, US senators Ed Markey and Mike Lee have raised concerns with the DHS about the department’s formal rulemaking regarding the biometric exit program. <br/>