The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed a facial recognition app, Mobile Fortify, which is meant to identify immigrants and citizens alike during federal operations. However, the technology does not actually verify identities but rather provides candidate matches that need to be confirmed by humans.
According to records reviewed by WIRED, Mobile Fortify has been used over 100,000 times since its launch in May 2025. The app was designed to determine or verify the identities of individuals stopped or detained during federal operations and was initially approved without public scrutiny.
The technology relies on algorithms developed by NEC Corporation of America and has been shown to struggle with poor framing or head tilt when images are taken outside controlled settings, such as in real-world conditions like immigration lanes. Street photos captured by cell phones lack the controls that tightly controlled visa photos used at ports of entry.
DHS officials have claimed that Mobile Fortify is designed to operate at scale under imperfect conditions, and the company's patents acknowledge a core trade-off between speed, scale, and accuracy. However, experts say that this approach can lead to false positives and a lack of transparency around the technology's operation and use.
The app has been used to scan the faces not only of targeted individuals but also people later confirmed to be US citizens and others who were observing or protesting enforcement activity. Reporting has documented federal agents telling citizens they were being recorded with facial recognition and that their faces would be added to a database without consent.
DHS has declined to detail the methods and tools used by agents, despite repeated calls from oversight officials and nonprofit privacy watchdogs. The department's use of Mobile Fortify is part of a broader shift towards low-level street encounters followed by biometric capture like face scans, with limited transparency around the tool's operation and use.
Experts argue that the lack of safeguards and oversight has real-world consequences for our privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights. Senator Ed Markey says that DHS has deployed an "arsenal of surveillance technologies" that are being used to monitor both citizens and non-citizens alike, calling it "the stuff of nightmares."
The use of facial recognition technology has been criticized as a threat to free expression and civil liberties, with some arguing that privacy safeguards are essential to preventing wrongful targeting by unvetted tools like Mobile Fortify.
According to records reviewed by WIRED, Mobile Fortify has been used over 100,000 times since its launch in May 2025. The app was designed to determine or verify the identities of individuals stopped or detained during federal operations and was initially approved without public scrutiny.
The technology relies on algorithms developed by NEC Corporation of America and has been shown to struggle with poor framing or head tilt when images are taken outside controlled settings, such as in real-world conditions like immigration lanes. Street photos captured by cell phones lack the controls that tightly controlled visa photos used at ports of entry.
DHS officials have claimed that Mobile Fortify is designed to operate at scale under imperfect conditions, and the company's patents acknowledge a core trade-off between speed, scale, and accuracy. However, experts say that this approach can lead to false positives and a lack of transparency around the technology's operation and use.
The app has been used to scan the faces not only of targeted individuals but also people later confirmed to be US citizens and others who were observing or protesting enforcement activity. Reporting has documented federal agents telling citizens they were being recorded with facial recognition and that their faces would be added to a database without consent.
DHS has declined to detail the methods and tools used by agents, despite repeated calls from oversight officials and nonprofit privacy watchdogs. The department's use of Mobile Fortify is part of a broader shift towards low-level street encounters followed by biometric capture like face scans, with limited transparency around the tool's operation and use.
Experts argue that the lack of safeguards and oversight has real-world consequences for our privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights. Senator Ed Markey says that DHS has deployed an "arsenal of surveillance technologies" that are being used to monitor both citizens and non-citizens alike, calling it "the stuff of nightmares."
The use of facial recognition technology has been criticized as a threat to free expression and civil liberties, with some arguing that privacy safeguards are essential to preventing wrongful targeting by unvetted tools like Mobile Fortify.
this whole thing is just so...human, you know? We're all caught up in the idea of security, of knowing who's who, but at what cost? 
it's like we think we can control everything with these fancy tech tools, but really, we're just playing a game of cat and mouse. 
they deploy this app, and suddenly, our faces are being scanned, recorded, and stored without our consent. that's not freedom, that's surveillance. 
and what about the false positives? do we really want to live in a world where an algorithm is more accurate than human judgment? 
it's like we're trading our humanity for convenience. 
we need to slow down, take a step back, and think about what we're getting ourselves into with this kind of technology. are we just giving up on our right to be unknown? 
? No, seriously though, this raises some major concerns about surveillance and civil liberties. We already live in a world where our data is being collected and used for all sorts of purposes, but facial recognition tech is just another way to get under people's skin 
. What if there are issues with accuracy or bias? We can't just assume it's perfect because some fancy algorithms were used 
. And the fact that it's being used to scan not just targeted individuals but also people who were just observing protests is just creepy 
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. We should be having a national conversation about this stuff, not just ignoring it behind closed doors 
. This is exactly why we need more oversight and transparency around biometric tech 
. I mean, how much power do we give the government when it comes to tracking our faces? It's one thing to use facial recognition for national security purposes, but this feels like a whole different story 
. And now we know that they're using it on US citizens too? That's just not right 
. We need to make sure our civil liberties aren't being trampled in the name of "security" 
. This is a major wake-up call for us all 
. But on the other hand, I'm all for some serious oversight and transparency when it comes to biometric data and surveillance tools 
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it's like they're treating us like suspects or something 
but at least it was controlled and with some explanation. this mobile fortify thing is just using algorithms to make educated guesses without any human intervention 
I mean, i get it, security is important but we need to make sure our rights aren't being trampled in the process too 
I think we're playing right into the hands of tech giants here... Facial recognition apps like Mobile Fortify might seem convenient for law enforcement, but it's just a slippery slope to mass surveillance 
.
and it's not even verifying identities but just providing matches for humans to confirm? that's, like, super unreliable 
i mean, what if someone gets a bad angle or has poor lighting on their face? or what about those who don't want to be scanned but are detained anyway? it's all so shady 
and the lack of transparency from DHS is, like, totally unacceptable 
Facial recognition tech is already sketchy enough, but the fact that it's being used without proper consent from citizens... that just makes me really uncomfortable 
How are we supposed to trust these algorithms when they're not transparent about how they work?
. I mean, who hasn't been stopped and searched or asked for their ID at some point? It's a slippery slope when it comes to consent and transparency 
. And the more I read about this, the more I wonder if we're trading our freedom for convenience 
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We've seen this play out before in history – from the Red Scare to the Patriot Act. It's always about control and power 
. But what if we're missing something more important? What if our biggest threat isn't terrorism or crime, but our own willingness to surrender our individuality? 
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I mean, what's next? A government ID app that can scan your mood 
? But seriously, this whole thing is a bit of a mess. Like, who thought it was a good idea to give agents carte blanche to scan people's faces without consent? It's like they're trying to create a digital version of the Sopranos' "fuggetaboutit" 
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. It seems like anyone can become a "person of interest" if the right agents come knocking 
The fact that it's been used on people who aren't even targets but were just in the wrong place at the wrong time is super sketchy. And the lack of transparency from DHS is wild – like, how can you expect people to trust an app when they don't know what's going on behind the scenes? 
It's all about 'scale' and 'speed' for these folks, but I'd rather have accurate info than some 'efficient' solution that just invites mistakes. 
.
. I get that speed and scale are important, but at what cost to our civil liberties? 
. We need more oversight and accountability here 
also what if someone takes a selfie with their phone and its not them in it? 