U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that they will begin testing a new way to collect biometric data of foreign national travelers using a handheld mobile device. CBP officers will be stationed near loading bridges of selected flights departing the U.S. to scan travelers’ fingerprints and passports. This data will be matched to the data collected when they entered the U.S. to confirm each traveler’s identity and travel record, and will be stored by the Department of Homeland Security.
Currently, this new data collection system is being tested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA, but by fall 2015, testing will expand to Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, San Francisco, and Washington-Dulles. Testing will continue through to June 2016, and will hopefully enhance the accuracy and efficiency of biometric data collection and travel records of foreign national travelers.