The Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Inspector General is investigating potential privacy abuses associated with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement\u2019s surveillance and biometric data programs, according to a letter sent to two senators.Last week, we reported that Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine demanded that DHS inspector general Joseph Cuffari investigate immigration-related surveillance programs across DHS, Customs and Border Protection, and ICE. Thursday, Cuffari said his office had launched an audit called \u201cDHS\u2019 Security of Biometric Data and Personally Identifiable Information.\u201d\u201cThe objective of the audit is to determine how DHS and its components collect or obtain PII and biometric data related to immigration enforcement efforts and the extent to which that data is managed, shared, and secured in accordance with law, regulation, and Departmental policy,\u201d Cuffari\u2019s letter reads. He adds that one of the purposes of the investigation will be to \u201cdetermine whether they have led to violations of federal law and other regulations that maintain privacy and defend against unlawful searches.\u201dKaine and Warner\u2019s initial letter specifically focused on many of the technologies and programs 404 Media has been reporting on, including DHS\u2019s contracts with Palantir, facial recognition company Clearview AI, its side-door access to Flock\u2019s license plate scanning technology, its social media monitoring through a company called Penlink, its phone hacking contract through a company called Paragon, its face-scanning mobile app, as well as its use of various government biometric databases in immigration enforcement.\u00a0\u201cDHS\u2019 reported disregard for adhering to the law and its proven ambivalence toward observing and upholding constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms of Americans and noncitizens, including freedom of speech and equal protection under the law, leaves us with little confidence that these new and powerful tools are being used responsibly,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cCoupled with DHS\u2019 propensity to detain people regardless of their circumstances, it is reasonable to question whether DHS can be trusted with powerful surveillance tools and if in doing so, DHS is subjecting Americans to surveillance under the pretext of immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"