DHS Face-Scan Tool Fails to Verify Identities, Sparking Privacy Backlash
TL;DR Summary
The WIRED report shows that the DHS Mobile Fortify facial-recognition app used by ICE and CBP cannot reliably verify identities in real-world stops; it returns candidate matches rather than a guaranteed ID and was fast-tracked after privacy reviews were weakened. The tool has been deployed hundreds of thousands of times, including on U.S. citizens and bystanders, with data stored in centralized systems like ATS and SAW. Independent testing shows accuracy declines in uncontrolled settings, raising civil-liberties concerns and prompting legislation to curb its use.
- ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are WIRED
- Richfield observer says her Global Entry was revoked days after tense encounter with Border Patrol cbsnews.com
- Opinion | ICE’s Surveillance State Isn’t Tracking Only Immigrants The New York Times
- Immigration agents’ surveillance tools and tactics raise questions about civil liberties PBS
- Yes to the “ICE Out of Our Faces Act” Electronic Frontier Foundation
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