Why Your Facebook Account Could Be a Vital Travel Tool

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By Adario Strange2013-12-23 04:11:18 UTC

Traveling around the U.S. can sometimes be a complicated affair due to the various security procedures in place at airports.

But on Sunday, one passenger found out that when it comes to providing identification to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) before a flight, your social media presence could be a major time saver if you've forgotten or lost your government-issued ID.

See also: 8 Ways Tech Will Transform Airport Security

Zach Klein, the co-founder of Vimeo and current CEO of DIY.org posted a message on Twitter indicating surprise that the TSA accepted his Facebook profile as proof of his identity.

However, as Klein later realized, the TSA’s practice of using online credentials to verify your identity isn’t a recent development.

When contacted by Mashable, TSA spokesperson Ross Feinstein confirmed that the agency's policy of using publicly available databases to confirm a passenger’s identity has been in effect for some time. The TSA's advisory message on its website referencing the policy states:

Not having an ID, does not necessarily mean a passenger will not be allowed to fly. If passengers are willing to provide additional information, TSA has other means of substantiating an individual’s identity, like using publicly available databases.

Nevertheless, what ranks as a “publicly available database” could vary depending on one’s point of view with regards to the authenticity of many online accounts that don’t require rigorous proof of identity.

Traditionally, accounts on social networks such as Facebook have not been viewed as official forms of identification for U.S. government-related agencies, so Klein’s apparent surprise regarding his TSA encounter is understandable.

But in the U.S., and even in the UK, the importance given to a Facebook profile appears to be growing as the social network continues to gradually increase its focus on verifying the identities of its users.

A hint at possible upcoming changes regarding identification policies on the website was revealed by an incident last month in which users were locked out of their Facebook accounts and served a message that government identification would be required to regain access. A similar incident occurred on the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service Instagram in January of this year.

Focusing in on this point, we asked the TSA: Is there a list of social media websites that are TSA-approved sources of public database information?

“We don't utilize social media websites to confirm a passenger's identity,” says Feinstein. “We use publicly available databases.”

That answer doesn’t address the question of what the difference is within the agency between a social media website and a “publicly available database,” or whether or not there is a particular list of approved databases (websites) within the agency.

But despite those somewhat murky designations, the TSA’s Internet-friendly stance on identification makes it clear that, increasingly, while traveling, your online profile could prove to be far more valuable than you realize.

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Image: George Frey/Getty Images

Topics: Facebook, identity, travel, Travel & Leisure, tsa, U.S., US & World