Face Recognition and Face Capture (FR/FC) are powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses to improve how the public interacts with us and support critical law enforcement investigations, while protecting privacy and individual rights. But when used incorrectly, these technologies, like any advanced technologies, can introduce new risks and challenges.
Recognizing this, in September 2023 Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas and I announced that DHS was instituting the most extensive requirements of any Federal agency to ensure that FR/FC technologies were used properly. DHS Directive 026-11, “Use of Face Recognition and Face Capture Technologies,” includes requirements that:
- All uses of FR/FC technologies are thoroughly tested to ensure there is no unintended bias or disparate impact in accordance with national standards.
- U.S. citizens are afforded the right to opt out of face recognition for non-law enforcement uses unless otherwise authorized or required, and FR/FC cannot be used as the sole basis of any law or civil enforcement related action.
- Department oversight offices, including the Privacy Office, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, review all new and existing uses of FR/FC technologies.
FR/FC is a subset of AI technologies, and these requirements complement DHS’s implementation of government-wide AI risk management policies, which I discussed in a December 2024 blog post. You can see all of DHS’s AI use cases, which include FR/FC uses, in our AI Use Case Inventory.
After we issued our FR/FC Directive, teams across DHS worked diligently to review all current uses of the technology and ensure compliance with these requirements. For our most significant FR/FC uses, we conducted extensive testing with hundreds of volunteers through the DHS Science & Technology Directorate’s Maryland Test Facility, an internationally recognized lab with experts in biometric research and evaluation. We’ve also engaged extensively with civil society organizations on how we use and test FR/FC. We will continue to consult with them, as well as with the general public, on an ongoing basis.
Today, DHS is publishing a report on our use of FR/FC which includes more information than ever previously shared about how we use and govern these technologies. This blog post shares some highlights, and I encourage you to read the full report for additional details.
The Difference Between Face Recognition and Face Capture
Face capture and face recognition technologies are often used together, but they have some important differences.
Face recognition and face capture systems use “biometric samples,” which are usually a picture of an individual’s face. These images can be taken live or come from an identity document like a passport or driver’s license. “Biometrics” refers to measuring physical traits, such as facial features, to identify a person.
Face capture means taking a picture of an individual’s face so that it can be used in a face recognition system and then applying different automated methods to verify that the photo taken is actually of a person’s face and is of high quality.
Face recognition technology compares an individual’s facial features to available images for:
- Verification: “One-to-one” matching to confirm a photo matches a different photo of the same person.
- Identification: “One-to-many” matching a photo of a person against a selection of photos from a larger group. This can happen against a database of millions of photos, but at DHS this most often involves matching against a limited, pre-built gallery of photos, such as the passport photos of passengers on a flight manifest. This limited gallery matching is more efficient and effective.
Services using FR/FC technologies comply with all applicable federal laws, including the Privacy Act of 1974, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the E-Government Act of 2002.
How DHS uses Face Recognition and Face Capture Technologies
We identified 14 distinct uses of FR/FC at DHS, which you can see in full in our AI Use Case Inventory. Most of our FR/FC use falls into two categories:
- Automating identity verification during domestic and international travel, to help travelers get through checkpoints more efficiently and securely.
- Supporting law enforcement investigations as a part of investigative due process, including identifying victims of crimes and potential leads or suspects.
For our first round of testing and reporting, we focused on eight use cases based on frequency of use and public interest:
| DHS Component | Use case | Description of use case |
|---|---|---|
| Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | 1. Biometric Exit by Air | As passengers board international flights, a quick photo at the gate matches against their travel document photo on record, confirming their departure to improve border security and compliance with immigration laws. |
| 2. Global Entry: Touchless Portals | Trusted Travelers step up to a Portal that captures a photo and matches it against their stored photo, expediting entry into the United States. | |
| 3. Global Entry: Mobile Application | Global Entry members use an app on their phone to take a selfie, which is matched against their stored photo, allowing them to skip the Touchless Portals. | |
| 4. Simplified Arrival: Air Entry | Travelers arriving to the United States on international flights have their photo taken, which is compared with a small gallery of photos of people traveling that day. This streamlines identity checks and reduces manual processing. | |
| 5. Simplified Arrival: Land Pedestrian Entry | Travelers entering the United States at land border crossings have their photo taken, which is matched against their travel documents to streamline identity checks and reduce manual processing. | |
| Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) | 6. Facial Recognition for Investigations of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse | Investigators use government databases and commercial tools, including Clearview AI, to help identify victims and offenders within child sexual abuse material. This technology has helped identify victims of child sexual exploitation and resulted in the rescue of children who may not otherwise have been rescued using other investigative means. Clearview AI is not currently used for any other types of investigations or for any other purposes anywhere at DHS. |
| Transportation Security Administration (TSA) | 7. Credential Authentication Technology | At TSA checkpoints, travelers hand their ID to an officer or insert it themselves into the kiosk. The system verifies the authenticity of the ID and flight reservation, takes a photo, and matches the traveler’s face to their ID. |
| 8. PreCheck: Touchless Identity Solution | TSA PreCheck members who have opted in approach the checkpoint and have their photo taken. Their photo is matched against photos of travelers with valid flight reservations, and travelers can proceed without presenting an ID. The prototype of the TSA PreCheck: Touchless Identity Solution is being assessed at 10 airports. |
Public Notice, Feedback, and Opt-Outs
DHS provides notice in multiple ways when we are using FR/FC, including:
- Posting physical signage in public settings like airports to let passengers know when participation is optional, and the procedures for participating or opting out.
- Publishing Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) on public websites to describe how they’re implementing Face Recognition and Face Capture (FR/FC) technologies and how they handle personal data.
- Publishing Systems of Records Notices (SORNs) that describe the relevant system(s) of record, including the purpose, categories of individuals and categories of records covered by the system, and routine uses of the records maintained by the system.
We also provide multiple ways to provide feedback or seek redress if you have an issue:
- Contact the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) if you’ve had difficulty with travel screenings, such as denied or delayed entry into the U.S., or repeated additional screening.
- Contact Customer Service | Transportation Security Administration (tsa.gov) to request information, submit complaints or compliments, and let TSA know about security issues or civil rights violations.
- File a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties if you believe DHS has violated your rights or someone else’s rights.
These options are available to all travelers, regardless of citizenship status.
U.S. citizens can opt out of interacting with FR/FC technology in most cases by requesting manual identity verification and/or notifying an officer. For example, if you approach a TSA checkpoint and tell the officer you are opting out of face recognition, the officer will manually inspect your ID and you will not lose your place in line. The full report details opt-out procedures in additional travel scenarios.
Testing Face Recognition and Face Capture Technologies
The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) oversees testing and evaluation for FR/FC technologies. Testing happens both before technologies are put in the field where you might interact with them and at least every three years during operational use.
The Maryland Test Facility conducts robust, independent testing and evaluation of FR/FC technologies. Volunteers who represent a range of demographics sign up to help test biometric technologies in a lab set up to resemble real world conditions.
In addition to these performance tests, DHS program teams also work to continuously improve services to the public to ensure that you are having the best possible experience while DHS ensures national security.
DHS completed performance reviews of several priority uses of FR/FC, based on direct testing, analysis of operational reporting statistics, and reviews of third-party testing results. We analyzed demographic differentials where possible. Through this testing, we learned that:
- Overall, FR/FC systems performed extremely well for diverse demographic groups. On average, the technology worked more than 99% of the time for systems that are fully operational, like ID checks for travelers at the airport and ports of entry to the U.S.
- TSA Credential Authentication Technology, which is used to verify authenticity of IDs and flight reservations at TSA checkpoints, had no performance issues across any demographic group.
- Our testing revealed an important finding for TSA PreCheck's prototype Touchless Identity Solution. While the face matching worked well, we encountered issues with the face detection algorithm used to verify if a photo contains a face before matching. This algorithm was accurate 88% to 97% of the time, with performance varying based on skin tone and self-reported race, gender, and age. To address this, TSA quickly introduced a manual photo capture step, which only adds 2-3 seconds to the process and does not affect the overall screening experience. TSA and DHS S&T are currently evaluating new algorithms to improve this step and plan to test and implement them later this year.
We noticed two other minor trends in test results that will be monitored going forward:
- For some CBP use cases, there were very small differences in measured face matching performance based on skin tone and self-reported race and age, ranging from less than 1% to 2-3%. Face matching still performed well overall, and the lowest success rate for any demographic group was 97%. This round of testing was only designed to reliably detect differences of 5% or greater, so we can’t say if smaller measured differences reflect true underlying differences in performance. We will continue to monitor these trends, refine our testing practices, and take action as appropriate.
- People interacted with systems quickly – in seconds, not minutes. The time to move through the FR/FC process ranged from less than 10 seconds for a Global Entry Touchless Portal to less than 30 seconds to do an ID check at an airport security checkpoint. In general, it took a few seconds longer for those aged 61 years and over to complete FR/FC interactions than those 60 years and under. While not a cause for immediate concern, we will work to ensure our systems continue to be usable across all age groups.
You can view detailed test results in the full report.
Conclusion
DHS will continue to implement our policies on responsible use of FR/FC and conduct ongoing monitoring, testing, and evaluation to make sure that we are living up to our commitments to use AI in safe, responsible, and trustworthy ways.