Border Officials Are Soliciting Companies for Real-Time Facial Recognition to Use on Cars at the Border

Once again, the United States Customs and Border Protection wants to purchase new surveillance technology. This time, CBP aims to beef up its border surveillance by using facial recognition on anyone entering the U.S. by car. As CBP continues to expand its surveillance infrastructure, it appears that facial recognition will remain a key part of the agency’s net. Last week, CBP’s Office of Field Operations Biometric Program Office issued a Request for Information soliciting vendors for technology to capture high-quality facial images of people inside vehicles at inbound land ports of entry. These images would be used for real-time comparisons with the Traveler Verification System, which is a pre-existing facial recognition system that DHS relies on at various entry points including airports and at pedestrian border crossings. Currently, CBP collects a wealth of information at border crossings including a “vehicle package” that consists of a license plate, scene photo, and biographic i ... Read full article.