On January 17, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report on select use cases of face recognition (FR) and face capture (FC) and their detailed performance testing results. For the most significant of these FR/FC cases, they were tested at the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s Maryland Test Facility, and all uses are subject to the most rigorous set of requirements in any federal agency that uses FR/FC technology.
As powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tools, they improve interactions between the public and DHS entities while supporting critical law enforcement investigations, but also must protect privacy and individual rights. DHS identified 14 distinct uses of FR/FC, and selected eight use cases for this report:
- Biometric Exit by Airi
- Global Entry: Touchless Portalsi
- Global Entry: Mobile Applicationi
- Simplified Arrival: Air Entryi
- Simplified Arrival: Land Pedestrian Entryi
- Face Recognition for Investigations of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuseii
- Credential Authentication Technologyiii
- PreCheck: Touchless Identity Solutioniii
[DHS components: i. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); ii. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); iii. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)]
Overall, the FR/FC systems “performed extremely well for diverse demographic groups. On average, the technology worked more than 99% of the time for systems that are fully operational, like ID checks for travelers at the airport and ports of entry to the United States.”iv People were able to interact with the systems quickly, meaning seconds, not minutes. When issues were identified, solutions were quickly introduced and tested to ensure no glaring or burdensome effects marred the overall experience.
To read the entire report, and the breakdown of use cases between CBP, HSI and TSA, click here.
Reference:
iv. Implementation of DHS Directive 026-11: Use of Face Recognition and Face Capture Technologies 2024 Report on Select Use Cases, Department of Homeland Security, p. 6