The unchecked, centralized accumulation of citizen information creates the architecture for authoritarian rule. This chilling reality is brought into sharp focus by the deployment of Mobile Fortify, a surveillance app used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that represents a techno-authoritarian nightmare.
The Lethal Force of Surveillance
While ICE's use of lethal force on American streets has drawn widespread condemnation, another highly damaging part of its arsenal demands urgent attention: mass surveillance. Mobile Fortify, a specialized app in use since at least May 2025, allows agents to obtain vast amounts of information on anyone by simply scanning their face or taking contactless fingerprints through a photo.
How Mobile Fortify Works
After capturing an image, ICE agents can scan for matches in government databases containing over 200 million images. This yields immediate access to personal details such as name, date of birth, citizenship status, family members' names, and alien registration numbers. The app has been used more than 100,000 times, including on children, as alleged in a lawsuit by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.
Presumption and Problems
ICE reportedly targets individuals suspected of being in the country without authorization, but this presumption is fraught with issues. Agents are believed to scan random people of color on streets to determine citizenship. Representative Bennie G Thompson noted that ICE considers a biometric match via Mobile Fortify as a definitive status determination, potentially ignoring evidence like birth certificates.
Government documents admit that photos could mistakenly include US citizens or lawful permanent residents, with no opt-out allowed. Every new photo or fingerprint is stored in the Automated Targeting System for 15 years, an absurdly long retention period compared to more limited practices like the TSA's optional facial recognition, which deletes images after verification.
Global Context and Bias Concerns
This technology is not confined to the US. In Gaza, the Israeli military employs facial recognition for mass surveillance to identify and detain Palestinians, sometimes supplementing with Google Photos. This raises questions about whether Americans are being transformed into overly surveilled subjects akin to those in occupied territories.
Inaccuracy and Real-World Consequences
Facial recognition tools are notoriously inaccurate, with studies showing error rates as high as 34.7% for darker-skinned women compared to 0.8% for light-skinned men. In New Jersey, Nijeer Parks was wrongly arrested due to misidentification, spending 10 days in jail. Similarly, ICE misidentified a woman in Oregon using Mobile Fortify, returning incorrect names twice.
The Core Issue: Power and Privacy
Bias and inaccuracy are just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem lies in the government's unchecked power to accumulate citizen information. When authorities can track movements, create association networks, and retain data for years without court authorization, they risk using it to predict behavior and intimidate dissenters.
As philosopher Elaine Scarry noted after the USA Patriot Act, such measures invert constitutional requirements, making private lives transparent and government workings opaque. Privacy is fundamental to human autonomy, trust-building, and political freedom. Eliminating it strips away part of our humanity.
Urgent Imperatives
Stopping ICE from shooting civilians is crucial, but halting the use of apps like Mobile Fortify is equally vital to safeguard democracy. The unchecked accumulation of data paves the way for authoritarian rule, echoing histories like that of former East Germany. In a democracy, privacy must remain a right of the people, not a tool of the state.
