It may not yet apply to Canadians travelling in the US, but emerging new checkpoint technology at American airports is a sign of the times as the nation’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to test a face-matching travel authentication process designed to promote social distancing and reduce contact between customs officers and passengers.

The “self-service” initiative automatically authenticates a traveller’s ID, matches a live photo with the image on their ID, and confirms their flight information in near real time.

The project actually began last fall in Las Vegas, but its rapid testing and deployment is now seen as a top priority in light of COVID-19, according to TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

“Advanced health and safety precautions have become… part of the new normal for TSA,” he said, adding, “At the conclusion of the pilot, we expect to be able to determine how positioning the new technology will allow passengers to use it themselves thereby providing a safer checkpoint experience, while adding significant security benefits.”

Presently, the initiative applies to US citizens holding various types of IDs, including passports and driver’s licenses.

The current pilot at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) – including refinements made after the Las Vegas test – focusses on volunteer TSA PreCheck travellers, who generally have the shortest wait times and the least amount of physical contact while at a TSA checkpoint.

Passengers approach the device and insert their own ID into a scanner for authentication, rather than physically handing it to a TSA officer, thus promoting social distancing and reducing physical contact. The device verifies the identity of passengers by taking a photo and comparing it with the image on their ID and displays results for face matching, ID authentication, and flight information to the TSA officer, who is behind an acrylic shield to further minimize contact between the officer and passengers.

Photographs of travellers taken as part of the program are not saved – images are only used for identity verification to confirm that the passenger is the true bearer of an authentic ID.