It seems like every day there’s something new to talk about with the Canada-U.S. border. First it was the wait times, and then it was the extra security checkpoints, and now? Well, now it’s more serious than just an extra look at your passport and belongings.
CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been checking Canadians’ passports and asking where they’re going (or where they’ve been) for a long time now. Although, that’s all they ever really did at the border. They ask questions, you answer; and, if necessary, your car gets checked.
Canadians aren’t required to provide much more than that. Biographic information is all that’s asked for. Except, things are changing with the CBP’s soon-to-be implemented technologies at the land borders.
Reportedly, they are planning on introducing facial biometrics in order to more accurately identify Canadian and Mexican travellers who overstay their welcome.
IDENTIFICATION
So, what is biometric technology? It’s anything that takes data from your biology or behaviour that can then be used to authenticate an individual’s identity.
Think fingerprints, voice patterns, and the ever-popular facial recognition software. You can find basically all of these biometric technologies in your average smartphone today.
Facial biometrics is what the CBP will be using at the borders. Although they have been using biometrics since the early 2000s– 2002, to be precise– it is only recently that they are reporting on their upcoming plans to implement it at land borders. More specifically, this technology will be used to identify non-U.S. citizens who are overstaying in the U.S..
If you wish to opt out of the facial biometric process, then you are able to let a CBP officer know. You can request a manual document check which can then bypass the facial scanning.
As of now, there is no known date for when the CBP will officially utilize facial biometrics at land borders.
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