Transportation services are using facial recognition and other biometric systems for security, but these technologies can make mistakes, treat certain racial groups unfairly, and raise data privacy concerns.

• The TSA’s new face scanners in security lines have made some travelers worry about being pressured to share their biometric data just to avoid delays.

Body scanners at airports were designed to improve and speed up security checks, but they unfairly give more false alarms for transgender people, people with disabilities, and those wearing certain hairstyles or religious head coverings leading to unfair treatment.

• Olivia was flagged for extra screening leading to a painfully uncomfortable experience because airport security practices are not inclusive of transgender travelers.
• Dorian shares how she, like other women of color, have faced extra security checks due to body scanners flagging their hairstyles.

ALPRs let law enforcement track drivers’ movements, raising privacy issues, especially for people in communities that are already heavily policed.

• During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, police used ALPRs and other surveillance tech to identify protesters.

AI used by insurance companies to track how people drive can raise concerns about privacy, consent, discriminatory treatment based on where people live, and unfairly high rates for certain groups.

• After a sudden jump in his insurance rate, Ken discovered that his car insurance company was tracking his driving through a data company called LexisNexis.

Self-driving car designers are hoping to help people who can’t drive or easily access vehicles, but improving safety has been shown to be a large problem. Cars sometimes struggle to detect people or objects in unusual or adverse conditions, and can show bias against certain groups.

• 🏆Researchers are working with disability advocates to make self-driving vehicles more accessible for people with disabilities.
• Disabled people voice concerns about self-driving cars not working well for them due to inaccessible vehicle designs and cars not recognizing them as pedestrians.
• In 2023, U.S. automobile regulator the NHTSA began investigating Tesla Inc.'s driver-assist technology following a fatal crash. The NHTSA has also investigated vehicles run by Zoo, Waymo, and Ford.