Boarding a plane is never easy: there are many steps, sometimes painful, and it must be acknowledged that the rigidity (admittedly understandable) of the ground staff does not always help to relax. So the travelers follow one another, submitting to security checks without questioning the obligatory or optional nature of certain procedures: you should not miss your flight because you dared to question certain instructions.
Yet, explain the Voiceit is sometimes possible to say no and be heard. This is particularly the case when airports ask us to present ourselves in front of a facial recognition system: not only is it possible to decline this kind of invitation, but it also seems to be very easy to do –at least in theory.
The regulations vary around the world, but according to Vox, people traveling from one US city to another can, for example, refuse to have their faces scanned. In the case of international flights departing from the US, US citizens can also bypass this procedure, but foreign nationals are subject to different rules: not everyone can say no.
In France, it is also possible to refuse to present your face to the device: “In the absence of a European regulatory framework, facial recognition at the airport is not mandatory”, writes Panda Security.
Theory and practice
On paper, all you have to do is keep your distance from the reconnaissance cameras or show up at the checkpoint wearing a mask, then show your identity papers and say the magic phrase: “I do not wish to take part in biometric checks. I prefer the standard verification procedure.” An air administration employee is then supposed to verify your identity using your passport and his own eyes.
In practice, things don’t always go so smoothly. Thus, according to the Washington Posttravelers (including a senator) wishing to avoid the face scan phase faced incomprehension (sincere or feigned, that is the question) from the staff facing them. Some were also subjected to attempts at intimidation.
In reality, everything seems to be done so that people who are about to take a plane believe that it is obligatory to submit to such a check. In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have signage that is supposed to tell travelers that they can say no. But it’s not often put up, and when it is, the writing is sometimes so tiny that you’d better have very good eyesight—and be the kind of person who reads the terms and conditions all the way through.
One concern for people wanting to avoid facial biometrics is the unclear use of their photograph. CBP Regulations makes it clear that images of U.S. citizens are not deleted immediately, far from it. The data “are retained for seventy-five years for the purposes of immigration and border management and law enforcement activities”.
Vox also answers this common sense question: if our face has already been scanned in the past, what is the point of refusing the next biometric checks that will be offered to us? “Every opportunity to opt out is a way to vote for your biometric rights”explains Joy Buolamwini, founder of the very serious Algorithmic Justice League. We are not immune to the possibility that sooner or later there will be a gigantic purge of airport databases, like what Facebook had undertaken in 2021. So this might help to get it off your face faster.
Source: www.slate.fr
