The Hill reports more than 20 U.S. House Democrats signed a letter to the Department of Homeland Security pressing for answers regarding the use of facial-recognition software by Customs and Border Protection in airports. The group of Democrats, which is headed by Reps. Susan Wild, D-Pa., Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., and Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., is concerned with CBP's rapid expansion of facial recognition in U.S. airports and scans involving U.S. citizens. "This is an unprecedented and unauthorized expansion of the agency’s authority," lawmakers wrote in the letter. "As such, we urge the agency to allow for public input and establish privacy safeguards." The Hill also reports that CBP has identified 141 cases of unknown identity after facial-recognition scans of 19 million travelers. Meanwhile, a U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled class-action suits are not permitted against airlines using employee fingerprint scans for biometric punch clocks.
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