Unisys Corporation announced the completion of the initial phase of testing of a facial recognition system at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to identify imposters attempting to enter the United States using passports that are fraudulent or do not belong to them.

Using an integrated solution developed by Unisys and its partners, the system captures live facial images of travelers entering the U.S., and compares those images against those stored electronically in travelers' passports. If the images do not match, the travelers may be subject to additional inspection by CBP officers.

The solution was provided by Unisys under its Land Border Integration contract with CBP, awarded in 2010. As a result of this testing phase of the project at Dulles, CBP is considering expanding the program to additional U.S. airports, pending budget approval.

The solution allows CBP officers to scan and display biographic and biometric information from randomly selected travelers' passports, while a desktop camera automatically captures their facial images. The officers use the system to analyze the passports' facial image and the captured images to determine whether there is a match or a need for additional processing by officers.

Images of travelers taken during the test are for assessment purposes only and will not be retained or shared. The technology is a standalone system that will not communicate with any other CBP or Department of Homeland Security systems. CBP is dedicated to protecting the privacy of all travelers.

"As cybersecurity and physical technologies continue to converge, technologies such as biometrics are playing an increasingly essential role in keeping us safe online and in the real world," said Amy Rall, group vice president for the Department of Homeland at Unisys Federal. "CBP's new facial recognition solution can make us safer while allowing officers to efficiently move travelers through airports with minimal disruptions – while protecting their privacy."