Facial recognition technology has been integrated into regular operations at the two largest airports in the state. According to Jessica Mayle, a spokesperson for the TSA in the region, these scanners are employed to authenticate passengers’ identities during the boarding process.

Here, she said: “It takes a real-time photo of the person who is presenting the ID and it compares it to the image on the ID and validates that that’s the same person, she says. Mayle says the system also confirms that the person is booked on a flight that will be leaving the airport. She demonstrated the system at the Des Moines Airport, where it took about three seconds for the machine to take her picture and then start verifying her identity with her driver’s license.”

The utilization of these scanners was initially explored in a trial initiative beginning in May. Mayle reported that out of approximately every 2,000 individuals who have undergone the process, fewer than five individuals have chosen not to participate in the photo recognition procedure.

Mayle affirmed that the speed of processing passengers using these scanners remains consistent with the previous method, and the primary advantage lies in the enhanced security measures they provide. Additionally, the implementation of photo recognition technology has been extended to the Cedar Rapids Airport.