Fingerprint scanner tested on foreign travelers at Atlanta airport, federal officials say

Federal authorities are testing a mobile device used to scan fingerprints from a sample of foreign air travelers as they depart from the United States through Atlanta's airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Jennifer Evanitsky said Tuesday that officers began using the devices last week to scan fingerprints and passports of some foreign passengers on selected flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The test will be expanded in the fall at airports in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, San Francisco and Washington.

The agency, which is under a Congressional mandate to record the biometrics of departing foreign visitors, plans to test the devices through next June. Then it will decide whether it's feasible to further expand the use of the devices.