The Morning: Flying into the future

Biometric tech, like facial recognition, is becoming more common at airports.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 18, 2024 Good morning. My colleague Christine Chung, a reporter on the Travel desk, has a new story about a technological shift underway at America's airports. She explains the change in today's newsletter. — David Leonhardt By Christine Chung Breaking News Reporter, Express We're also covering Ukraine, Donald Trump and queer literature in Africa. Ben Konkol Coming to an airport near you Biometrics are transforming the way we travel. The technology, which identifies travelers using unique physical traits like fingerprints and faces, is becoming more common at airports in the United States. As a result, time-consuming rituals that once required repeated ID checks — such as bag dropping, security screening and boarding — are getting easier and faster. Some experts believe that this will be the year that biometric use, primarily facial recognition, becomes standard at many airports. The technology offers several advantages: enhanced security, quicker processing of passengers and a more convenient airport experience. It also raises concerns about privacy, ethics and the possibility of broader surveillance. In today's newsletter, I'll explain how biometrics are already altering many travelers' airport experiences, and how critics are pushing back. Change is here T.S.A. checkpoints at dozens of airports across the country, from Denver to Miami, look different than they did only a few years ago. The agency is using technology that takes a photo of a traveler and swiftly matches it to a scan of their ID. This process will expand to around 400 more airports in the coming years, though it remains optional; travelers can still go through security the old-fashioned way if they prefer. The T.S.A. has also developed programs with some airlines to enable PreCheck travelers, who are approved for expedited screenings at more than 200 airports, to check bags and even pass through security checkpoints by just showing their faces, no ID scan required. Airlines say these changes can save substantial time and make a noticeable difference in moving passengers through the airport. Travelers will also have their identities confirmed by facial recognition when they are entering or leaving the United States. The government's biometric entry system is fully operational, and the system to identify departing travelers using facial recognition is now in place at nearly 50 airports. It is set to be installed at every airport with international departures by 2026. Privacy concerns Executives at various airlines tell me they believe passengers are becoming more comfortable with using biometrics in their daily lives. Many people regularly use facial recognition to unlock their phones, and shoppers can use their palms to pay for groceries at some Whole Foods stores. But not everyone is happy with the technology's growth. Critics say the systems lack guardrails to ensure people's biological data is not misused. And, though they have improved over the years, facial-recognition algorithms have historically been shown to work better on white faces. The Traveler Privacy Protection Act, a bill introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, and John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, seeks to halt the T.S.A.'s ongoing facial-recognition program. The bill's sponsors say they have serious concerns regarding security and the possibility of racial discrimination. Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel on privacy and technology at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the government had not yet shown a demonstrated need for facial-recognition technology at airports. And he expressed concern over what he called the "nuclear scenario." "Facial recognition technology," he said, could be "the foundation for a really robust and widespread government surveillance and tracking network." Read my full story on the rise of biometrics at airports, which includes details on the risks of using your face as an ID and forthcoming facial-recognition expansions from major airlines. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS Donald Trump Donald Trump Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times A New York judge's order that Donald Trump pay around $450 million in penalties and interest for deceiving lenders is a blow to Trump's finances, business — and identity. After Trump won the presidency in 2016, condos in New York buildings emblazoned with his name started selling for less. Trump allies are quietly planning ways to restrict abortion access if he's re-elected, including by criminalizing the shipping of abortion pills using a 19th-century law. More on Politics Dan Osborn  David Robert Elliott for The New York Times The leader of a strike at a Kellogg's factory in Omaha is running for the Senate as an independent in deep-red Nebraska. The Biden administration, in a concession to automakers and labor unions, intends to relax emission limits meant to encourage Americans to switch to electric cars. Lawmakers in states including Florida are proposing laws against lab-grown meat, even though the industry is still nascent. Nikki Haley plans to stay in the Republican primary race beyond South Carolina next week. Read the plans for her long-shot bid. Ukraine and Russia In Avdiivka last June.  Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Russian forces took Avdiivka, a longtime Ukrainian stronghold, after some of the most destructive fighting of the war. Ukraine is in its most precarious position since the opening months of the war. Read about the state of Russia's offensive. Aleksei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a penal colony on Friday, returned to the country after surviving a poisoning attempt. The decision won him respect, but cost him his life. The Biden administration is concerned about intelligence that Russia plans to put a nuclear weapon in space. Spy agencies are divided about how likely that is. More International News The World Health Organization said the Nasser Medical Complex, which was one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals, can no longer serve its dozens of remaining patients as the Israeli military siege continues. A 28-year-old college student in Eswatini wants to topple the nation's monarchy. His father is a soldier sworn to protect the king. In Brazil, where dengue fever is surging, teams of health agents are combing through junkyards and climbing roofs to hunt mosquitoes, The A.P. reports. Other Big Stories Assembling a rifle in 1917.  Getty Images, Bettmann The gun maker Remington is leaving Ilion, N.Y., for Georgia after two centuries, and taking the village's identity with it. The Catholic Archdiocese of New York condemned the funeral of a transgender activist at a Manhattan cathedral, saying it did not know who she was when it agreed to host the service. The corpse of a woman and the cremated remains of at least 30 other people were found at the home of a former funeral director in Colorado. FROM OPINION Optimism about aging helps you stay healthy and happy, Caroline Paul argues. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on Navalny and Maureen Dowd on Trump and Vladimir Putin. The Sunday question: Is A.I. the future of work? Artificial intelligence has become a priority for business leaders in 2024. "We will look back in a few years and recognize that the growth of A.I. has actually helped to unlock our human potential," Simon Freakley writes for MarketWatch. But whether A.I. is helpful isn't so important if it's unwanted: "That A.I. assistant may be fabulous, or it may be an intrusive, buggy timesink that imposes its own ideas on your work," Rupert Goodwins writes for The Register. Discover more of the insight you value in The Morning. The Times is filled with information and inspiration every day. So gain unlimited access to everything we offer — and save with this introductory offer. MORNING READS June Rodil, a sommelier and restaurant executive in Texas.  Nitya Jain for The New York Times The pour: Sommeliers, once as an essential feature of any establishment serious about wine, seem to be a luxury in the post-pandemic restaurant economy. Blaxit: The Covid pandemic and the racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd led some Black Americans to seek a new life in Africa. Mysterious motif: As the climate shifted about 8,200 years ago, cave-dwellers in one of the last places settled by humans began painting ​a comblike ​pattern. Vows: For one couple, the worlds of New York theater and trucking made a surprisingly perfect match. Lives Lived: Alvin Moscow wrote a best-selling account of the sinking of the ocean liner Andrea Doria in 1956, then collaborated on the memoirs of several public figures, including Richard Nixon. He died at 98. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE Marilynne Robinson Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times By David Marchese I spoke with the celebrated novelist Marilynne Robinson, author of a new nonfiction book on Genesis, about American goodness and her friendship with Barack Obama. I know that during Obama's presidency, you became friendly acquaintances with him. Have you continued that discussion with him since he left office? No, I haven't, and it's my fault. For years, I wrote letters to him quite consistently, and he wrote back to me, and it was wonderful. I stopped writing the letters. I apologize to him a million times over. Obama has been making podcasts and films. I wonder if that says something about America and aspirations. Even this guy wanted to go to Hollywood and make content. I find that a little dispiriting. Well, I think that's partly why I didn't know how to speak to him anymore. It was like he chose to step into another kind of life that's very remote to mine. Myself, I like books. I have a theory about the lapsing of your relationship with Obama. You said that you felt as though you didn't know how to speak to him anymore. It suggested to me that you saw him as a kind of avatar of American democracy. Then when he was in the world of Hollywood deals, that wasn't something that you could connect with symbolically, and that's why you felt like you couldn't talk to him. I think it's pretty descriptive actually. My admiration for him is great, and I'm sure that he's doing things of real value. I think he stepped back because he does not want to be seen as a competitor with President Biden. Because Obama's signature quality was youth, and Biden's is age. I'm less than a year younger than Joe Biden, so I believe utterly in his competence, his brilliance, his worldview. I consider him a gift of God. All 81 years of him. Read more of the interview here. More from the magazine ​What comes after prestige TV​? Tubi, the cult-hit streaming platform, ​is reviving a ​lost ​joy: ​watching ​really, ​really ​bad ​movies​. The Ethicist columnist on the duty to rectify an unpaid bill​, even if they forget to charge you. Read the full issue. BOOKS "We've Been Here," a collection of stories about queer Kenyans. Khadija Farah for The New York Times "We're going to stand up": Queer literature is booming in Africa. Inside the best-seller list: Dolly Alderton, the British author of "Good Material," has an eye for bit players, including ones who nudge, nag and blurt inconvenient truths. Our editors' picks: "The Rebel's Clinic," a biography of the Black psychiatrist and revolutionary Frantz Fanon, and eight other books. Times best sellers: Kristin Hannah's Vietnam War-era novel "The Women" debuts atop the hardcover fiction best-seller list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Learn how to make one of Cooking's most popular recipes. Listen to a podcast about politics and dating. Sleep alongside a stuffed animal. Slice bread with ease with this knife. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For The BAFTAs — Britain's foremost award ceremony for film and television — are today. The International Court of Justice is holding public hearings tomorrow on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. An opinion would be advisory and nonbinding. The Conservative Political Action Conference begins Wednesday. Trump and Javier Milei, president of Argentina, are confirmed as speakers. South Carolina's Republican primary election is Saturday. What to Cook This Week David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. No one likes to clean up after dinner. Emily Weinstein's Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter this week features recipes that use one pot or pan — maybe two, max — including sheet-pan Cajun salmon, a risotto-like orzo with butternut squash, and a butter-basted rib-eye steak. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was bullfrog. Can you put eight pieces of history — including "Silent Spring," the invention of sliced bread and Freud's couch — in chronological order? Take this week's Flashback quiz. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018