CBP Officer: how long were you in Mexico?
Me: five days
CBP Officer: Ok stand in front of the camera so I can take your picture
Me: I’d like to opt out

A handful of airports across the country are rolling out facial recognition technology. CBP claims they need to take your picture to compare it to your passport. Never mind that they’re looking right at your face, live.

They claim they delete the pictures after 12 hours. What they don’t say is who they will or won’t share the picture with in the meantime.

They also offer that US citizens can opt out. It’s in the fine print. I read it. Then I opted out.

The officer didn’t know what to do with me. I was his first-ever opt out. He had to call two supervisors and then after looking me up in his database and reviewing my Driver License for his “peace of mind,” I was permitted to enter the US.

The five minute delay is a tiny price to pay to protect my individual rights and to contribute to the barriers we can collectively create to slow the government use of technology to erase any remaining privacy we may have.