The Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law released a report on Tuesday, "American Dragnet: Data-Driven Deportation in the 21st Century," detailing how ICE has slurped up massive amounts of data from state DMVs, utility records, private data brokers, and facial recognition software, often without a warrant or any meaningful oversight.
"ICE has built its dragnet surveillance system by crossing legal and ethical lines, leveraging the trust that people place in state agencies and essential service providers, and exploiting the vulnerability of people who volunteer their information to reunite with their families," the report says. "Despite the incredible scope and evident civil rights implications of ICE's surveillance practices, the agency has managed to shroud those practices in near-total secrecy, evading enforcement of even the handful of laws and policies that could be invoked to impose limitations."
The report details how ICE began rapidly expanding its surveillance capabilities in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration. Since 2008, ICE has spent $2.8 billion on facial recognition software and other new surveillance technology. Just last week, federal contracting records showed ICE intends to spend $7.2 million on yet more facial recognition tools.
Among the report's major findings: ICE has scanned the driver's license photos roughly a third of adults using facial recognition technology. ICE has access to the driver's license data of 3 in 4 adults, can track the movements of drivers in cities that are home to 3 in 4 adults, and can locate 3 in 4 adults through their utility records.
reason.com
Spying on Citizens, but cannot deport illegals
"ICE has built its dragnet surveillance system by crossing legal and ethical lines, leveraging the trust that people place in state agencies and essential service providers, and exploiting the vulnerability of people who volunteer their information to reunite with their families," the report says. "Despite the incredible scope and evident civil rights implications of ICE's surveillance practices, the agency has managed to shroud those practices in near-total secrecy, evading enforcement of even the handful of laws and policies that could be invoked to impose limitations."
The report details how ICE began rapidly expanding its surveillance capabilities in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration. Since 2008, ICE has spent $2.8 billion on facial recognition software and other new surveillance technology. Just last week, federal contracting records showed ICE intends to spend $7.2 million on yet more facial recognition tools.
Among the report's major findings: ICE has scanned the driver's license photos roughly a third of adults using facial recognition technology. ICE has access to the driver's license data of 3 in 4 adults, can track the movements of drivers in cities that are home to 3 in 4 adults, and can locate 3 in 4 adults through their utility records.
ICE Operates a Sweeping ‘Dragnet Surveillance System,’ New Report Finds
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has quietly built up a massive "dragnet surveillance system" that allows it to snoop without a warrant on
reason.com
Spying on Citizens, but cannot deport illegals
