London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Facial recognition software biased against Asians and black people, major US government study finds

Tests on 189 algorithms from 99 manufacturers, who represent most of the industry, found higher number of incorrect matches for minorities than for white people. Use of facial recognition is set to widen at airports worldwide, and travellers may decide it’s worth the trade-off in accuracy if they can save a few minutes

Facial recognition software has a higher rate of incorrect matches between two photos for Asian and black people relative to white people, a United States government study has found.

The evidence of bias against minorities in the software comes as its use is set to expand at airport security checkpoints in Asia, Europe and the United States.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been testing facial recognition technology at airports across the US, expecting it will become the preferred method to verify a passenger’s identity.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers studied the performance of 189 algorithms from 99 manufacturers representing most of the industry. Some algorithms performed better than others, they concluded, meaning that it’s likely the industry can correct the problems.

The institute found that US-developed algorithms had the highest rate of incorrect matches, or false positives, for American Indians.

Researchers found a higher rate of false identifications of black women when matching their photos to an FBI database. Higher rates of mismatches increase the chance that a person could be falsely accused, the institute said.

Patrick Grother, a computer scientist at the institute and the report’s primary author, said some mismatches can be resolved with a second attempt, such as checking a passport. However, he said, “a false positive in a one-to-many search puts an incorrect match on a list of candidates that warrant further scrutiny”.

The TSA has been testing facial recognition software at airport checkpoints in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in the United States, matching live images of passengers to the photos on their identity documents. Participation in those test runs was strictly voluntary.

“TSA’s facial recognition system will be for passenger identification and to determine the appropriate level of screening only,” spokesman Mark Howell said. “TSA understands the variety of concerns related to facial recognition match performance and takes this issue seriously.”

CBP uses the technology to screen arriving international passengers at 16 US airports and exiting international passengers at 26 US airports. Additionally, CBP uses it for entry at cruise ports in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Washington state.

Both agencies plan to expand the use of the technology to screen passengers. It could speed up the process, allowing for shorter waiting times for passengers and enabling security personnel to better focus their attention.

“Facial recognition is going to replace that interaction with the TSA officer,” said Brian Jackson, a security researcher at the Rand Corporation, a policy research organisation.

Grother’s team used an assortment of more than 18 million images of about 8.5 million people culled from files of the US State Department, the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

The research adds to concern about the accuracy of the technology, which has potential implications beyond airport security.

Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union used software developed by Amazon to match photos of all 535 members of US Congress against a database of 25,000 publicly available arrest photos.

The software incorrectly matched 28 lawmakers with photos of people who had been arrested. Nearly 40 per cent of those false matches were non-white lawmakers, though minorities make up only 20 per cent of Congress.

Patricia Cogswell, the TSA’s acting deputy administrator, told US lawmakers in October that the agency wanted “a very highly probable match” in its developing biometric screening process.

“We are not matching you against mugshots,” she told a US House of Representatives subcommittee on homeland security. “If you don’t match, we go back to the regular process.”

Though there may be lingering concerns about the accuracy of facial recognition technology, travellers may decide it’s worth the trade-off if they can save a few minutes.

“Opting out will always have a time cost,” Jackson said. “There’s certainly a convenience benefit to it.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×