On December 10, 2020, the Port of Seattle Commission established guiding principles for the public-facing use of biometric technology at Port facilities. The next step translated those principles into tangible, enforceable policies that govern Port decision-making on this topic. On March 10, 2020 Commission approved the Biometric Air Exit Policy Recommendations.
The External Advisory Group will provide guidance, feedback, and technical expertise to Port staff throughout their policymaking process — including reviewing drafts of proposed policies and sharing best practices, research, and diverse stakeholder perspectives on the issue of public-facing biometric technology at Port facilities. While the Advisory Group will not have any formal voting structure or direct authorities, its feedback will be essential to help shape proposed policies that the Port Commission will consider in Q2 of 2020. The Advisory Group comprises community partners, travelers, maritime and aviation industry partners, and other impacted stakeholders.
- View a member list of the Port Internal Working Group Members
- View the External Working Group Members List
Federal government actions
Under its federal authority, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) already uses biometric technology to confirm the identity of passengers leaving the country at more than two dozen U.S. airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The Port is working with CBP to ensure that passengers are fully educated about their rights and options related to facial recognition screening.
The federal mandate to begin using facial recognition for international passenger processing led the Port of Seattle Commission to pursue biometric principles and tangible, enforceable policies to implement those principles. The Port is working closely with our internal working group and our external advisory group to develop and finalize those policies according to the timelines laid out in the Commission motion.
- Visit CBP’s program for specific information.
Materials presented to Commission
April 14, 2020 Commission Meeting
- 2020-08 Motion extension to 2019-13 Motion, adopted Dec. 10, 2019
March 31, 2020 Commission Biometrics Special Committee Meeting
- Meeting Agenda
- WA State Senate Bill 6280, passed by the 66th Legislature, 2020 Regular Session
March 10, 2020 Commission Meeting
- Biometrics Memo to Commission, March 10
- Biometrics Presentation
- Biometric Air Exit Policy Recommendations
February 25, 2020 Commission Meeting
February 18, 2020 Commission Biometrics Special Committee Meeting
Meeting schedule and materials
Related materials
- Port Biometric Air Exit Policy
- CBP Biometric Air Exit Business Requirements
- WA State Senate Bill 6280, passed by 66th Legislature, 2020 Regular Session
Future meeting dates
- July 10
- July 24
- August 7
- August 21
Friday, June 26, 2020
- Partnership on AI Facial Recognition Primer
- Center for Data Ethics and Innovation Facial Recognition Snapshot
- National Institute of Standards and Technology report on Face Recognition Vendor Test Demographic Effects
Friday, March 6, 2020
- Meeting Agenda
- Public-Facing Biometrics at Port Facilities Presentation, March 6, 2020
- Meeting Summary, March 6, 2020
- Port Public-Facing Biometrics Policy: Biometric Air Exit Recommendations
- Commission Agenda for March 10, 2020. Item 8a lists documents included
- Comments of the Identity Project at Feb. 25, 2020 Port Commission Meeting
- Non-Federal Biometric Passenger Processing Recommendations
- Biometric Air Exit Recommendations by Implementer
Friday, February 7, 2020
- Meeting Agenda
- Meeting Presentation
- Meeting Summary
- Biometrics Policy and Biometric Air Exit Recommendations
- External Advisory Group List
- Biometric Air Exit Recommendations Worksheet
Friday, January 17, 2020
- Meeting Agenda
- Project Overview Presentation
- Biometrics Use Cases
- Meeting Summary
To submit comments and feedback on this topic, please contact Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager of Federal Government Relations, at schinfeld.e@portseattle.org.
