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The Department of Homeland Security's use of Mobile Fortify, a facial recognition app designed to identify individuals stopped or detained by DHS officers, has raised concerns about civil liberties and the erosion of privacy. Despite its limitations, the app has been used to scan the faces of US citizens without their knowledge or consent, highlighting the need for stricter regulation and accountability in the use of facial recognition technology.
DHS has been using Mobile Fortify to scan faces of individuals in towns and cities across the US without consent. The app was launched in May 2025 as part of a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, despite concerns about its reliability. Records show that DHS officials dismantled privacy reviews and removed limits on facial recognition to approve Mobile Fortify. DHS has used the app to scan faces of US citizens without their knowledge or consent. The use of facial recognition technology by DHS raises serious questions about mass surveillance and civil liberties. Private companies like NEC have not been transparent about their licensing practices and human-rights implications. Legislation to restrict the use of facial recognition technology is needed, but its fate remains uncertain.
In a shocking revelation, documents have surfaced revealing that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been using its facial recognition technology, Mobile Fortify, to scan the faces of individuals in towns and cities across the US without their consent. This disturbing trend highlights the dangers of unchecked facial recognition technology and the erosion of civil liberties in our country.
In May 2025, DHS launched Mobile Fortify as part of a "total and efficient" crackdown on undocumented immigrants through the use of expedited removals, expanded detention, and funding pressure on states. The app was touted as a tool to help identify individuals stopped or detained by DHS officers during federal operations. However, records obtained by WIRED reveal that the app is not designed to reliably identify people in the streets and was deployed without the scrutiny that has historically governed the rollout of technologies that impact people's privacy.
According to sources, DHS officials dismantled centralized privacy reviews and quietly removed department-wide limits on facial recognition, enabling the approval of Mobile Fortify despite concerns about its use. The app's design and functionality have been criticized for its inability to provide a positive identification, with manufacturers and police departments making it clear that face recognition technology is not capable of providing such an outcome.
Despite these limitations, DHS has used Mobile Fortify to scan the faces of individuals in non-targeted areas, including people later confirmed to be US citizens. This has raised serious concerns about the use of facial recognition technology for mass surveillance and the erosion of civil liberties. Reports have documented federal agents telling citizens they were being recorded with facial recognition and that their faces would be added to a database without consent.
The implications of this development are far-reaching. Facial recognition technology is already a powerful tool for law enforcement, but its misuse can have devastating consequences for individuals and communities. The fact that DHS has used Mobile Fortify to scan the faces of US citizens without their knowledge or consent is a clear violation of their right to privacy and due process.
Furthermore, the use of facial recognition technology by DHS raises serious questions about the role of private companies in the mass surveillance state. NEC, the company behind Mobile Fortify, did not respond to questions about its licensing of facial recognition technology to US immigration agencies, including questions of how its systems are designed to perform in uncontrolled field conditions, what safeguards or usage constraints it provides to government customers, and whether it evaluates civil-liberties or human-rights implications prior to licensing its products.
As the use of facial recognition technology continues to expand, it is essential that we take a closer look at its impact on our civil liberties. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPI) and other advocacy groups have long warned about the dangers of unchecked facial recognition technology, but their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. It is time for lawmakers to take action and pass legislation that restricts the use of facial recognition technology by government agencies.
In recent years, there have been efforts to regulate facial recognition technology, but they have been met with resistance from industry groups and politicians who are more concerned with protecting corporate interests than individual rights. The ICE Out of Our Faces Act, introduced by Senator Markey and his colleagues, aims to prohibit the use of certain facial-recognition and biometric surveillance tools by ICE and CBP, but its fate remains uncertain.
As we move forward, it is essential that we prioritize transparency and accountability in the use of facial recognition technology. DHS must be held accountable for its actions, and private companies like NEC must be required to evaluate the human-rights implications of their products before licensing them to government agencies.
In conclusion, the story of Mobile Fortify serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked facial recognition technology and the erosion of civil liberties in our country. It is time for us to take action and pass legislation that restricts the use of facial recognition technology by government agencies. We must prioritize transparency and accountability in the use of this technology, and ensure that it is used only with the consent of individuals and in accordance with their rights.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Dark-Side-of-Facial-Recognition-How-DHSs-Mobile-Fortify-App-is-Eroding-Civil-Liberties-ehn.shtml
https://www.wired.com/story/cbp-ice-dhs-mobile-fortify-face-recognition-verify-identity/
https://itmagazine.com/2026/02/06/the-limitations-of-ice-and-cbps-face-recognition-app-can-it-truly-verify-identities/
Published: Wed Feb 18 08:00:05 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
