8 Senators Demand Biometric App Use Disclosure and Halt
Senate Group Collective Brake on Error and Human Rights Violation Possibilities
US senators expressed strong concern about ICE new biometric app use. September 11: Senators Edward Markey, Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley, and Adam Schiff (8 senators) sent a joint letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons demanding immediate halt and disclosure of "Mobile Fortify" app usage. The app controversy: ICE agents can simply point a phone at a person face or fingerprint to verify identity, simultaneously sending "Super Queries" to federal and state databases to retrieve extensive information about individuals, vehicles, addresses, firearms, aircraft, and vessels. Senators especially noted ICE appears to be attempting to combine with private data brokers like LexisNexis to integrate sensitive personal information -- effectively "a Big Brother surveillance system capable of easily identifying and tracking individuals on the street." The letter also highlighted this technology shows high error rates for people of color -- raising racial equity concerns beyond privacy issues. The legal framework concern: Mobile Fortify appears to enable warrantless surveillance at a scale and intimacy previously requiring judicial authorization; deployment for immigration enforcement rather than serious criminal investigation expands the surveillance dragnet to millions of people with no criminal record.
