US Customs and Border Protection has begun trials of facial recognition tech at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as part of nationwide biometric border plans.The trial, which follows the completion of other biometric exit trial at two big US airports, is designed to assess CBP's systems can work with facial comparison technology to process images of travellers leaving the US.The test will only affect travellers on one daily flight from the United States to Japan until September 30.As part of the testing, travellers will present their boarding pass while their digital photo is taken. The process will take less than three seconds before travellers proceed to the passenger loading bridge to board their flight. Travelers over the age of 14 and under 79 will be required to participate in the test. The test will evaluate CBP's ability to successfully compare the image of a traveller taken during departure against an image the traveller previously provided, in an automated fashion and without impacting airport operations.The digital images of travellers will be compared and held in secure CBP data systems for post-departure analysis. Travelers who travel with a U.S. passport will not have their data retained for the purposes of this test once it is confirmed they are the true document holder. The test data will be deleted after the evaluation of the test. CBP remains committed to protecting the privacy of all travellers.”As CBP works towards deploying a comprehensive biometric exit system, it is important that we continue to test available technology and our systems capabilities,” said John Wagner, deputy executive assistant commissioner, Office of Field Operations. “Our goal remains to implement a biometric exit system that conforms with existing standard operating procedures so that the incorporation of biometrics has minimal impact to airlines, airports, and the traveling public.”In a statement, CBP said that a biometric exit system has been a greater challenge to implement as U.S. international airports do not have similar entry processing infrastructure for exit processing. CBP is taking a strategic and measured approach to implementing a biometric exit program by testing and evaluating advanced biometric technology in its unique operational environments.DHS is committed to implementing biometric exit in 2018, starting at the highest volume airports.

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