Facial recognition may become immigration enforcement’s most powerful tool 

The 9/11 terrorist attack exposed weaknesses in the security of the U.S. immigration system. Congress responded with stronger security measures, such as the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, which required the use of biometric technology for the issuance of visas and to screen aliens seeking admission.

The congressionally established 9/11 Commission similarly concluded that “a biometrics-based entry-exit system is an essential investment in our national security.”

One result was the development and widespread deployment of facial recognition technology, which compares a photograph of an individual’s face with images contained in travel documents and government databases, to determine whether individuals are who they say they are.

The American Civil Liberties Union claims that the implementation of facial recognition has resulted in “systematic invasions of privacy, inaccuracies, unreliable results, and racial disparities.”

The data produced by facial recognition technology has to be safeguarded to prevent unauthorized access to personal information or other information that should not be released, but it will not ever be 100 percent secure. According to the Institute of Forensics and Information and Communication Technology Security, “every system is hackable. No matter how many checkboxes you tick or how many ‘best practices’ you follow, vulnerability is inevitable.”

In any case, the Department of Homeland Security does what it can to make facial recognition data as secure as possible.

For instance, Customs and Border Protection developed a cloud-based system called the Traveler Verification........

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