The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has now implemented facial recognition technology at over 250 airports nationwide in the name of efficiency and security. Officials say it’s a fast and innovative way to check passenger identities and speed up the lines. However, while your boarding pass might greet you with “Welcome Aboard,” many travelers are starting to feel as though they never agreed to be scanned, have their data stored, or be watched.
And here’s the catch: it’s all technically optional. But no one seemed to inform the staff…or the passengers.
The TSA maintains that passengers can decline facial scans by presenting a photo ID. However, travelers report that this claim doesn’t hold up in practice. A study from the Algorithmic Justice League in July 2025 discovered that only 1% of passengers were given a clear choice to opt out. The vast majority, 99%, were steered toward the scanning area with little explanation.
One person traveling through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shared a disturbing encounter.
When they tried to say no to the scan, a TSA agent sharply reminded them that “a thousand cameras in the airport” and snapped, “We already took your picture.” Another traveler at Harry Reid International in Las Vegas faced a wall of silence for nearly ten minutes after refusing, only to be finally told they should “just allow the photo next time,” as per a report.
While a May 2025 report from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board did confirm the technology’s high accuracy (with an error rate under 1%, making it more precise than other biometric methods), that’s not the core problem people are raising.
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is pushing back. He’s brought back the Traveler Privacy Protection Act, designed to ensure travelers can easily say no and see signs explaining their options. “No one should be required to have their face scanned to travel,” Merkley stated firmly. “And no government should have the power of a national surveillance system at its fingertips.”
Merkley even shared his airport encounter where he was told he’d already been captured by a camera just by walking by it. That kind of automatic capture is deeply concerning: what’s the point of refusing if the system already got what it needed?
To get on a plane this am:
1. Missed my first flight because I got ALMOST to the airport when I realized I didn’t have my ID
2. Showed ID at airline to check my bag.
3. Retinal scan at CLEAR to expedite tsa
4. Facial recognition photo for TSA (last time I threw a fit,… pic.twitter.com/fspQCuKW55
— Dr Mollie James (@molsjames) November 29, 2024
Over 60% of travelers surveyed said they worry about their biometric information falling into the wrong hands. And since the TSA has admitted images might be kept “in limited testing environments,” many flyers wonder what’s happening behind closed doors.
Groups like Airlines for America and the Security Industry Association counter that banning facial recognition would mean higher costs and put safety at risk. In a letter to Congress, Airlines for America cautioned that without automation, the TSA would need more staff and a bigger budget, which is already mainly used to cover payroll.
The Security Industry Association took it a step further, claiming that rolling back the technology could help bad actors using fake IDs to “inflict harm on innocent citizens or carry out acts of terrorism.”
1/ ✈️ 2 years. 420 TSA scorecards. 91 US airports. Thanks to testimonies from travelers nationwide collected through AJL’s #FreedomFlyers Campaign, we’ve completed the first comprehensive study based on travelers’ experiences with airport face scans.
This report is now live! pic.twitter.com/gqMygklNP1
— Algorithmic Justice League (@AJLUnited) July 29, 2025
Privacy advocates, meanwhile, are calling that kind of alarmism what it is: fear-mongering. Their main argument? If this system is truly so effective, why all the hush-hush secrecy and pushback when someone says, “I’d rather not”?
As Congress looks closely at the TSA’s facial recognition program, the United States finds itself at a real turning point, a tech and ethics crossroads. Is security always going to win out over privacy? Or can Americans eventually fly without giving up their unique biometric identity? For now, travelers should know this: yes, you absolutely can refuse the scan. But be ready for some eye-rolls, extra attention, and maybe even some delays. Because in the airports of tomorrow, your face might be your boarding pass, whether you asked for it or not.
