HOUSTON (AP) — If the Trump administration gets its way, all U.S. citizens flying abroad will have to submit to face scans at airport security.
Privacy advocates call the plan an ill-advised step toward a surveillance state.
Nonimmigrant foreigners entering the U.S. currently must submit to fingerprint and photo collection.
Congress long ago agreed to extending that to face scans on departure — mostly to keep better track of visa overstays.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security says U.S. citizens must also be scanned for the program to work.
Pilots are under way at six U.S. airports. DHS aims to have high-volume U.S. international airports engaged beginning next year.
This not a step, it’s a death spiral. Next step, everyone gets chipped when they get a SS#. If you don’t have a chip, you’re a non-citizen and immediately deported to a location based on your genetic identity.
You know, that was meant as satirical, but rereading it and realizing that this kind of technology is possible now, my attempt at satire shades too close to reality.
It will be interesting to see how society reacts to this.
It wasn’t that long ago that people were freaked out about all the security cameras being installed everywhere, and now most people like how they can help capture criminals, document questionable actions by law enforcement / others, etc.
The scenario @imkmu3 posted is entirely plausible, though…
9/11/2001 was a bigger success than the terrorists could ever have hoped for. We’re the most pants-wetting fearful country in the world now.