New facial recognition technology caught 'imposter' using someone else's passport, US officials say
A new facial recognition technology caught a man trying to enter the US using a passport belonging to someone else, US officials say.
Officials with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Office of Field Operations (OFO) intercepted a 26-year-old man, the agencies referred to as an “imposter”, who reportedly attempted to use a French passport belonging to someone else, at Washington's Dulles International Airport. The man was travelling to the US from Brazil.
“The officer utilised CBP’s new facial comparison biometric technology which confirmed the man was not a match to the passport he presented,” the CBP press release read. It added: “A search revealed the man’s authentic Republic of Congo identification card concealed in his shoe.”
CBP said the DC-area airport is one of the 14 early adopters of the new facial comparison biometric technology, which had been implemented at the airport just three days before officials say they stopped the 26-year-old man using someone else’s passport.
The US agency also stated it is further assessing the technology as potential future use for airport processes beginning from check-in to departure, in which travellers would use facial recognition instead of their ID and boarding passes.
“Facial recognition technology is an important step forward for CBP in protecting the United States from all types of threats,” said Casey Durst, CBP's Director of the Baltimore Field Office according to the release.
Ms Durst added that the technology “eliminates” the ability for someone to use a genuine document belonging to someone else, like “terrorists and criminals” who she said “look for creative methods” to enter the US.
