Justin Kay Discusses PCLOB’s Examination of Airport Facial Recognition Technologies

Chicago partner Justin Kay was quoted in a Global Data Review article titled “PCLOB to Examine Airport Facial Recognition.”

The U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) recently issued a press release in which the independent agency announced that it will examine the ways that facial recognition and biometric technologies are being used to identify passengers.

Justin observed that the decision reflects increasing public concern, saying “I suspect that their announcement is the result of the recent reports concerning the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of state drivers’ license photos for facial recognition purposes,” and that “[t]here were recent congressional hearings in the House of Representatives dealing with this and there was federal legislation proposed earlier this year.”

Justin further noted that while the announcement by the PCLOB reflects recent increased federal interest in regulating facial recognition technology, state and local governments have been at the forefront in this area: “New Hampshire enacted a law in 2014, limiting the government’s collection and use of biometric information, and San Francisco, California and Sommerville, Massachusetts both recently passed bans on the government’s use of facial recognition technology.”