Passport Anomaly Model

Overview

Development stage

DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.

High-impact designation

Presumed high-impact, determined notSource: b) Presumed high-impact, but determined not high impact

Impact justification

The AI outputs do not serve as a principal basis for a decision or action concerning a specific individual or entity that has a legal, material, binding, or similarly significant effect on that individual’s or entity’s civil rights, civil liberties or privacy, equal opportunities, or access to or the ability to apply for critical government resources or services. The AI output is an assessment of passport validity in response to an officer's request for passport validation. This result could be related to an inconsistency or abnormality in a passport's pattern. This is a tool available to CBP officers for confirming the validity of a passport. This result is used to notify the CBP officer that a passport may require review, as it may be part of a newly released sequence, may be invalid, or even possibly fraudulent. This is only one piece of information provided to CBP Officers during the normal course of their duties. The officers would use any results provided to research the validity of the passport through other sources.

Start date

2017-07-01 (day precision)Source: 2017-07-01T00:00:00

Withheld from public reporting

Not reported

Mission

Topic area

Law Enforcement

Operational functions

Fraud, waste and improper payments Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

The Passport Anomaly Model addresses challenges stemming from the lack of formal notification regarding updates to passport series, such as issuance of new series or expiration of old ones. By analyzing historical trends, the model evaluates whether a passport exhibits typical or atypical characteristics and alerts officers when further scrutiny may be warranted. This capability enhances the integrity of travel document verification by enabling CBP personnel to conduct thorough and efficient reviews, ensuring security and accuracy in the inspection process.

Expected benefits

The model assists CBP personnel in passenger targeting and vetting by analyzing anomalies in Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and non-ESTA country-specific traveler passports to improve the accuracy of matching and streamlining the screening process by reducing errors and enhancing the identification of high-risk travelers.

System outputs

The model’s outputs are integrated into the Advanced Targeting System (ATS) application, delivering real-time results that assist CBP personnel in detecting passport anomalies and potentially fraudulent documents.

Technology

AI classification

Classical / predictive MLSource: Classical/Predictive Machine Learning: Models trained on data to make predictions or classifications based on identified patterns or relatio…

System name(s)

Automated Targeting System (ATS)

Custom-developed code

Yes

Public source code

Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built

Developed in-houseSource: b) Developed in-house

Vendor (as reported)

ManTech

Vendors (standardized)

None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII

Yes

Privacy Impact Assessment

www.dhs.gov ↗

Authorization to Operate

Yes

Demographic features

c) Age

Training and evaluation data

This model leverages data provided by air carriers within the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

Federal Data Catalog

Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported