Skip to main content

New face-scanning tech at Dulles helped spot impostor, feds say

By Jack Moore

WASHINGTON — Just three days after rolling out new facial-recognition technology at Dulles International Airport, U.S. customs officials say the new system helped spot an impostor.

The new face-detecting equipment alerted a customs officer about a man posing as a French citizen on Aug. 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. The 26-year-old man, who was traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil, handed the CBP officer a French passport, but the new face-detecting equipment confirmed he didn’t match the passport photo.

“As they took the picture, it wasn’t matching up,” said Supervisory Customs and Border Protections Officer Christopher Downing.

When the man was screened again, the agency said he became “visibly nervous” and a search later revealed his authentic identification card — for the Republic of Congo — hidden in his shoe.

“He, at that point, said that I am not the individual that I presented myself on primary to be,” said Downing.

The man’s identity hasn’t been released because authorities are still investigating, CBP said. Using someone else’s passport is a violation of U.S. immigration laws and could result in criminal prosecution.

CBP said it was the first time the technology has detected an impostor, and Downing added that the program uses advanced algorithms when determining if the photos are a match or not. Weight loss or gain, age, loss of hair and other changes person could experience since taking their passport photo are taken into account, according to Downing.

“Somebody might be able to get your passport, they can get your name, but once we match up that face, once we match up those prints on your fingers, those can’t be duplicated, those can’t be changed,” Downing said.

Dulles is one of 14 “early adopters” of the new face-scanning tech, which officials hope will speed up customs checks for arriving international travels.

More broadly, the customs agency is studying whether it can use biometric technology to completely revamp international travel by using travelers’ biometric identifiers instead of their boarding pass or ID for security and boarding.

WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Read Next Story