THE NEW FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. | PHOTO COURTESY TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

When I was flying out of Boston Logan International Airport recently, the TSA agent asked me to slide over to the left slightly after I handed him my driver’s license at the security checkpoint.

“Just stand there and look at the camera,” he said. 

It took a second. He verified a match and let me move on.

Now that facial recognition technology has arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport.

PHOTO COURTESY TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The Transportation Security Administration has rolled out the new technology that confirms the validity of a traveler’s identification as well as their flight in real time.

This is the latest generation of what’s called Credential Authentication Technology or CAT-2 to verify the identity of travelers with their photo. The new units scan a traveler’s photo ID, confirms the traveler’s identity and flight details and also provide a camera to capture a real-time photo of the traveler.

Once CAT-2 confirms a match, the TSA officer verifies it and the traveler can proceed, without showing a boarding pass. The photo is then deleted.

“This technology enhances detection capabilities for identifying fraudulent IDs such as driver’s licenses and passports at a checkpoint, and it increases efficiency by automatically verifying a passenger’s identification,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, in a release. ”We just want to ensure that you are who you say you are.” 

The system also confirms the passenger’s flight status by verifying that the individual is ticketed to fly out of an airport on that same day.

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CAT-2 units can authenticate more than 2,500 types of IDs, including passports, military common access cards, Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler ID cards, uniformed services ID cards, permanent resident cards, U.S. visas and driver’s licenses and photo IDs issued by state motor vehicle departments.

Even though the photos are deleted, travelers have the option of opting out of the process if they are uncomfortable with it. The TSA will then use an alternative identity verification process.