The TSA is moving forward with a sweeping $5.5 billion plan to reshape airport security, leaning heavily on privatized operations, biometric surveillance, and AI-powered screening technologies. A newly issued Request for Information (RFI) reveals the agency's interest in partnering with private vendors to deliver “fully integrated, turnkey” solutions—combining staffing, facial recognition, digital ID systems, and AI-based threat detection. This marks a major expansion of the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP), previously limited to a few select airports, signaling a nationwide shift toward automation-heavy and surveillance-driven checkpoints.

Under this proposed overhaul, private contractors would handle everything from personnel to high-tech gear over the next decade, replacing current contracts set to expire in 2026. While TSA promotes this model as a way to streamline security and improve threat detection, privacy experts warn that the widespread deployment of biometric tools and centralized digital credentials—often with little transparency or oversight—risks creating a permanent surveillance infrastructure. These systems are expected to integrate with TSA PreCheck, mobile apps, and digital ID platforms, raising serious concerns about data collection, profiling, and algorithmic decision-making with limited human review.

Stay Awake. Keep Watch. SOURCE: Reclaim the Net