A conversation between an airline and one of their passengers has gone viral because people are quite frankly creeped out by it.
It all started when a woman contacted JetBlue Airways on social media to ask about their new face recognition boarding technique, which she had some questions about.
Instead of scanning her boarding pass and looking at her passport before allowing her to board the plane, Mackenzie Fegan was shocked when she was asked for neither and instead just had to look into a camera before she was let through to board.
I just boarded an international @JetBlue flight. Instead of scanning my boarding pass or handing over my passport, I looked into a camera before being allowed down the jet bridge. Did facial recognition replace boarding passes, unbeknownst to me? Did I consent to this?
— MacKenzie Fegan (@mackenzief) April 17, 2019
Asking the obvious question, Mackenzie contacted JetBlue Airways to see if facial recognition had replaced boarding passes without her knowledge – and more importantly, without her consent.
Not hesitating in the slightest, the airline responded to say:
You’re able to opt out of this procedure, MacKenzie. Sorry if this made you feel uncomfortable.
Which, y’know, definitely doesn’t answer her question and ultimately raises even more questions than answers. But there you have it.
You're able to opt out of this procedure, MacKenzie. Sorry if this made you feel uncomfortable.
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) April 17, 2019
Mackenzie wasn’t leaving it there and responded with a follow up question, asking how JetBlue knows what she looks like as ‘presumably these facial recognition scanners are matching my image to something in order to verify my identity’.
This is where the conversation gets creepy, with JetBlue responding saying her information is provided by the United States Department of Homeland Security from existing holdings.
Mackenzie, clearly taken aback, responds:
So to be clear, the government provided my biometric data to a privately held company? Did I consent to this? How long is my data held by @JetBlue? And even if I opt out at the scanners…you already have my information, correct?
Here, the airline backtracks slightly by saying the photos aren’t provided to them; instead, they are ‘securely transmitted to the Customs and Border Protection database’ meaning JetBlue does not have direct access to the photos and therefore doesn’t store them.
So to be clear, the government provided my biometric data to a privately held company? Did I consent to this? How long is my data held by @JetBlue? And even if I opt out at the scanners…you already have my information, correct?
— MacKenzie Fegan (@mackenzief) April 17, 2019
With Mackenzie only having more questions, the airline directed her to a press release – which she said didn’t really tell her anything about how the process worked.
At this point, JetBlue directed her to another article but again, Mackenzie queried them.
The thread has since gone viral, with many people putting their concerns forward that private companies are able to get their hands on our personal data so easily.
One person said it was ‘unprecedented’ for the government to share this information while another described it as a ‘creepy and unwelcome’ boarding process.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).