AI-Powered Gun Detection in Postal X-Ray Screening

Border & Immigration · Safety & Security

What it collects

About a measurement

Anonymized data

X-ray images of postal parcels collected by CBSA Science and Engineering (S&E). The images are of physical objects (mail contents) and do not contain personal information.

Run by: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
Where: No fixed location
Kept: Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with: Accountable organization
Your copy: You cannot see the data it holds about you. What you can do

What it is for

Border & Immigration

Safety & Security

This system uses machine learning to automatically detect guns and gun parts in X-ray images of postal mail at the Canada Border Services Agency. It is currently in development and is intended to be used by CBSA employees to flag suspicious parcels. The system does not process personal information. AI use will be disclosed to those affected.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

About a measurement

Anonymized data

X-ray images of postal parcels collected by CBSA Science and Engineering (S&E). The images are of physical objects (mail contents) and do not contain personal information.

Processing

Computer Vision

Object recognition in X-ray images: the machine learning algorithm identifies the presence and shape of guns and gun parts within scanned postal parcel images.

Classification & Prediction

A machine learning classifier assigns a detection label (gun or gun part present / not present) to each X-ray image or image region, trained on a dataset of labelled images collected by CBSA.

What it does

Sensing (Perceptive AI)

Human decides

The system senses and interprets X-ray images of postal parcels, detecting the presence of guns and gun parts. CBSA employees (GC employees) then review and act on flagged images.

Deciding (Analytical AI)

Human decides

The algorithm classifies X-ray image regions as containing guns or gun parts, producing a flag or detection result. CBSA employees make the final determination on enforcement action.

Outputs

A recommendation or prediction

Anonymized data

Detection flags or alerts indicating that an X-ray image may contain a gun or gun part, presented to CBSA employees for review and follow-up action. The output is advisory; human staff make enforcement decisions.

Run by

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)

Federal department deploying this AI system for postal X-ray screening to detect firearms and their parts at Canadian borders.

Automatic detection of guns and gun parts — Government of Canada AI Register

Built by

SeeTrue

Vendor responsible for developing the machine learning algorithm for automatic detection of guns and gun parts in postal X-ray images.

Automatic detection of guns and gun parts — Government of Canada AI Register

Kept for

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Shared with

Not available to me

X-ray image data and detection outputs are not accessible to members of the public or parcel senders. Access is limited to CBSA employees using the system for border screening purposes.

Available to the accountable organization

Detection results and X-ray images are available to CBSA employees (GC employees) for the purpose of postal screening and border enforcement.

Stored

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data: Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data: Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data: The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides: This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes: This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous: This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

Right to Be Informed of AI UseAI use will be disclosed to individuals affected by decisions made using this system, as indicated in the AI register. For inquiries, contact the Canada Border Services Agency.
Right to a Human ReviewThe primary users of this system are GC employees who review AI-generated flags before enforcement action is taken. Decisions about parcels are made by human CBSA officers, not solely by the algorithm.

Risks and safeguards

Civil liberties harmFalse positives could trigger unwarranted parcel seizures or investigations. Risk: Systematic bias in training data could lead to disproportionate screening of certain sender demographics.Safeguard: The system is described as advisory, with GC employees making final decisions. The system is still in development, allowing for testing and bias review before production deployment. AI use will be disclosed to affected individuals.
Reputational harmMisidentification of a parcel as containing a firearm could harm the reputation of a legitimate sender.Safeguard: Human review by CBSA employees before any enforcement action is taken. The system is in development, allowing accuracy improvements before production use.