A classified TSA facial recognition audit identified several findings. An unclassified version didn’t reveal the details.
But here’s what we do know from the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG):
“[W]e conducted covert tests at airport checkpoints to evaluate facial recognition and identification technology and observed how officers responded to and used results during screenings. We assessed the effectiveness of TSA technology, procedures, and personnel in
identifying and preventing the use of fraudulent IDs. We issued three findings and six recommendations. TSA concurred with five recommendations and non-concurred with one; four recommendations are open and resolved, and two remain open and unresolved….”
There were details about one related issue:
“[W]e identified a significant weakness in that the CAT2 vendor was able to access and extract sensitive passenger information, including driver’s license and passport images, during system troubleshooting and enhancements, without TSA’s knowledge.”
No idea what the originally referenced findings are about. Are they confidential because they allow bad people to enter and exit the country, or are they confidential because they embarrass DHS and TSA? Note that the OIG had no problem throwing the vendor under the bus (or the plane, I guess).
