New Homeland Security system will bring facial recognition to land borders this summer

The week after the 2016 election, drivers exiting the United States at the Nogales border crossing would have noticed something out of the ordinary. A new canopy had been set up over the far-right lane of the checkpoint with an ad-hoc wiring system supporting multiple DSLR cameras. The cameras were trained at the road and activated by an array of ambient light sensors, range finders, and remote speedometers. As cars approached the turnstile, the cameras would capture a clear shot of the driver’s face through the windshield, images that researchers would later use to develop an experimental facial recognition system designed for use at the border.

Now, that system is getting ready for a more permanent installation. In August, Customs and...

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