U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly using facial recognition, social media monitoring, and other tech tools including on U.S. citizens not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to track protestors

Lieff Cabraser’s Cybersecurity and Data Rights practice group is investigating alarming reports that ICE is using data provided by Palantir, Clearview AI, Paragon, Penlink and technologies including Mobile Fortify for the unprecedented and improper identification and profiling of not just protesters, but U.S. citizens stating views critical of the government. In at least in one instance, the profiling and collected data were then used to revoke the targeted citizen’s travel privileges.

• At least seven American citizens were told by ICE agents this month that they were being recorded with facial recognition technology in and around Minneapolis; critically, none had given consent for their faces to be recorded.
• ICE is also using cellphone and social media tools to monitor people’s online activity and potentially hack into phones. And agents are tapping into a database, built by the data analytics company Palantir, that combines government and commercial data to identify real-time locations for individuals they are pursuing.

“The technologies are being used not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to track citizens who have protested ICE’s presence,” according to three current and former officials of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE has vastly expanded its tech tools over the last year after an influx of cash. In July, President Trump signed a bill increasing ICE’s annual budget to roughly $28 billion from $8 billion, making it the most richly funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

Americans are actively exploring their rights and options in pushing back against ICE’s overreaching and its leveraging of cutting-edge data invasion tools purchased from companies like Palantir, Clearview AI, Paragon, Penlink, and others, including by filing lawsuits against Homeland Security and ICE in federal court.

If you or a family member believe you have been profiled by Palantir, Clearview AI, Paragon, Penlink, or other data brokers, we urge you to talk to a lawyer in the Data Privacy Rights practice group at Lieff Cabraser at your earliest convenience about your rights and litigation and recovery options. There is no charge for our review of your case, and all data you provide will be held in the strictest confidence.