Following EPIC FOIA, Senators Tell DHS to Suspend Facial Recognition

After a Buzzfeed story featured documents obtained by EPIC about plans to expand facial recognition at airports, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) called for the suspension of the program. The Senators stated that "DHS should pause their efforts until American travelers fully understand exactly who has access to their facial recognition data, how long their data will be held, how their information will be safeguarded, and how they can opt out of the program altogether." Today EPIC filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit, EPIC v. CBP, to determine whether the agency is allowing travelers to opt-out of facial recognition. EPIC's earlier lawsuit against the DHS led to the removal of backscatter x-ray devices at US airports.