TSA deploys California DMV’s digital ID tech at SFO ahead of holiday travel rush

Two unexpected ways to make a scene while passing through airport security screeners during holiday travel are to pack wrapped presents in your luggage or wear a certain type of trouser when inside the body scanner. 

Which means, don’t pack a wrapped present — because a TSA agent will have to unwrap it to inspect it. 

Another hot tip? Download your digital driver’s license from the California Department of Motor Vehicles onto your smartphone before your trip. In an attempt to speed up the screening process at security checkpoints, TSA is rolling out new technology at San Francisco International Airport that can read a digital California driver’s license.

SFO and San Jose International Airport are among the 26 airports across the country that have CAT-2 scanners. The DMV launched an expanded pilot program for the digitized IDs in August and wrote in a press release that more than 300,000 Californians have downloaded it. 

There are currently three machines equipped to scan them at SFO, and all three units are in United’s Terminal 3. TSA said it expects to add more scanners at SFO, but doesn’t have a timeline yet. 

The CAT-2 terminals have a camera to capture a real-time photo of the traveler after they scan their digital ID. A security agent is then given both their driver’s license photo and a real-time photo for a biometric read. 

When demonstrating the machine at SFO, a security contractor explained to SFGATE that he first reads the eyebrows, ears and then shape of the face to determine whether the traveler is who they say they are. 

After the scan, TSA said that the real-time photo is immediately deleted and none of that data is stored.

The process is expected to shave a few seconds off the overall screening time, which seems small for an individual but compounds during a busy travel period such as the holidays. 

TSA said the busiest days for air travel around Christmas at SFO this year are Thursday, Dec. 21; Friday, Dec. 22; and then the following Thursday and Friday. SFO security is preparing to process nearly half a million people between Dec. 17 and Dec. 23, adding that the busiest times at security checkpoints are typically in the morning. 

If you haven’t downloaded the DMV Wallet yet, TSA asks that you refrain from doing it while in line at the airport because that often causes delays. Since TSA vows to process travelers in the general security screening process in less than 30 minutes, every moment counts. 

As for the worst pants to wear when passing through TSA? For some it’s an outdated fashion dedicated to function. A spokesperson for TSA told SFGATE cargo pants tend to set off body scanning machines because the attire is somewhat out of style and the technology isn’t trained on scanning pants with extra pockets.