You can opt out of airport face scans

Opting Out in Practice

• Multiple users report successfully opting out of facial recognition and body scanners, but experiences vary widely.
• Some describe smooth alternatives (manual ID check, wanding, pat-down); others report arguments, shaming, long delays, or being told opt-out isn’t possible.
• Signage often states participation is optional, yet front-line staff frequently seem confused or untrained about opt-out procedures.
• Opting out of millimeter-wave scanners triggers manual pat-downs; some find them invasive or deliberately unpleasant.
• A few users say the hassle has driven them to give up resisting and just comply.

Radiation and Scanner Safety

• Clarification that current airport “cylindrical” machines are millimeter-wave, not X-ray; backscatter X-ray systems are said to be rare or phased out in major US airports, but still used in some European airports and prisons.
• Debate over cumulative radiation risk: some argue low, non-ionizing doses are negligible; others say all radiation exposure is additive and workplace limits exist for a reason.
• One commenter notes EU caution over millimeter-wave safety and highlights limited, vendor-funded studies.

Privacy, Biometrics, and Normalization

• Many object on principle: resistance to constant identification, tracking, and the erosion of anonymity in public.
• Concern that “they already have your photo” is a form of privacy nihilism; people want to slow the incremental (“salami slicing”/boiling frog) expansion of surveillance.
• Worries include high-resolution 3D face data, derivative biometric templates that may be retained even if images are “deleted,” and future misuse (deepfakes, biometric fraud).
• Non-citizens often cannot opt out and fear data leaks by border agencies; some avoid visiting the US entirely.

Effectiveness of Resistance

• One camp sees individual opt-outs and delaying lines as necessary civil disobedience and a moral duty.
• Another argues opt-outs are statistically insignificant, often not even tracked, and that meaningful change must come via law, regulation, and elections.
• Some note that marginalized or non-white travelers face higher risks if they resist, so relatively privileged travelers may have a special responsibility to push back.

Technical and Operational Notes

• Facial systems often use stereoscopic, close-range cameras; some boarding gates and Real ID processes also integrate face capture.
• Others point out ubiquitous cameras (street, stores, cars, doorbells) already feed large-scale facial recognition.
• Several prefer programs like TSA PreCheck/Global Entry for speed and to avoid body scanners, while distrusting private services like Clear, especially for how they monetize biometrics.