Frogging around to pull out your ID and get it back during airport security has actually become a travel ritual for most of us, but some travelers have skipped the process completely. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) quietly deploys a program called the TSA Precheck Touchless ID. Face recognition systems eliminate the need for physical identification at security checkpoints.
What is a touchless ID for TSA Precheck?
The program uses facial identification technology to verify traveller identity at security checkpoints. Instead of giving TSA officers a physical ID (which must be the actual ID from May), you simply stand in front of the kiosk that captures the image from your chin. “The technology compares the biometric templates of live passenger photos with pre-staged galleries of existing passport or visa photo templates,” says a TSA representative.
The Department of Homeland Security has been using biometric authentication technology since 2002, and facial recognition has already been used at airports for bag drops and border entrances and exits. The Certification Technology Machine was introduced in 2022, allowing passengers to pass security with only their photo ID. However, Touchless ID technology uses only facial biometrics and only skips the need for an ID completely. It works through a collaboration between TSA and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using CBP’s Traveler Verification Service (TVS).
When did touchless ID start?
According to a TSA representative, the Touchless ID program was launched in March 2021 in collaboration with Delta and United at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Then, in June 2022, the program expanded to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.
Since then, the program has been available at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with Delta Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport, Laguardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. TSA has launched services in collaboration with United at Los Angeles International Airport and O’Hare International Airport. Hartsfield – Qualifying Alaska Airlines passengers traveling to Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport can also use the program.
Who can use a TSA Precheck Touchless ID?
The program is currently only available to TSA Precheck members who are primarily flying with participating Delta and United airlines. Travelers must manually opt-in when checking in through the airline’s mobile app. Once they opt in, they will receive consent metrics on their mobile boarding pass and qualify for the facial recognition process. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines will soon be joining the program.
Sandra Zo Audre, a travel blogger and data engineer at Deloitte, says the technology has removed stress from her journey. Awodele is always looking for ways to make the airport experience more seamless, especially when traveling in busy cities like Atlanta and New York. Using touchless IDs from TSA Precheck reduces the average processing time for ID verification to less than 8 seconds, according to TSA representatives.
On a recent trip to Nigeria, Awodele has decided to try out new Touchless ID technology. “As a frequent flyer (as I did several times) that I don’t have to repeatedly stretch my ID,” she says, she said.
Privacy Considerations
Privacy is often a concern of facial recognition, and in this case participation is voluntary. Passengers can opt out at any time and proceed with standard ID verification instead. According to the TSA, the Department of Homeland Security deleted the data within 180 days.
But reality is more complicated.
Joshua McKenty is the CEO and co-founder of Polyguard, a cybersecurity company focused on data privacy and protection. McKenty says travelers have no real control over their use of facial data.
“Do I need to opt for a government system that uses my biometrics? What do you guess? Practically speaking, I have no choice,” says McKenty. “All the latest passports and actual ID documents, etc., involve capturing and storing facial biometrics. If you want to travel, you’ve already rolled the dice.”
McKenty says Traveler Facial Biometrics is already in use with CBP and DHS, and CBP doesn’t keep them, but the information is moved to DHS’s database known as the automated biometric identification system (ID).
“Even if it’s you do Opt out of the “last step,” which probably won’t change your privacy attitude at all,” he adds.
For privacy-conscious travelers, manual ID checks may still feel safer. For others, skipping ID shuffle can be a welcome upgrade for frequent flyers navigating busy hubs. In either case, we are probably already living in the future.
