#MOBILE-FORTIFY
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lj-p.bsky.social
Get rid of Clearview AI and a newer program, Mobile Fortify.

How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:45 PM
digitalwarrior.bsky.social
7/ Step 6: Mobile Fortify conducts mass facial recognition scans without consent, storing all encounters for 15 years. Flock license plate readers track vehicles. Cell-site simulators intercept phones. Drones overhead. Every person ICE passes becomes a target. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects — and protesters
Biometric trackers, cellphone location databases and drones are among the surveillance technologies agents are using in their immigration enforcement campaign.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:39 PM
jodwarf.bsky.social
Outil utilisé par l’ICE : l'application : Mobile Fortify
Conception et technologies :
→ Développée pour le Department of Homeland Security
→ Reconnaissance faciale fournie par NEC Corporation
→ Intégrée aux systèmes de données fédéraux américains
Usage : Identification de personnes sur le terrain
February 1, 2026 at 4:05 PM
davebowman2001.bsky.social
¿Recuerdan cuando hace décadas se destapó que IBM ayudó a los nazis a tabular el genocidio de judíos?

Bueno, ahora está más repartida la cosa:

AT&T
Deloitte
Palantir
Clearview AI
Mobile Fortify
Geo Group
Tangles
Webloc
Motorola
Thomson Reuters (sí, de Reuters)
Capgemini
De escanear tus ojos a rastrear tu ubicación: así funciona el aparato de vigilancia de ICE para espiar a inmigrantes y manifestantes
Bajo Trump, la agencia migratoria que junto con la Patrulla Fronteriza ha matado a dos civiles en Minneapolis utiliza una vasta red de tecnologías comerciales para espiar, localizar, identificar y rep...
www.elperiodico.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:30 PM
ausetkmt.bsky.social
Corporate investigators that's what they call d i in any of the other software companies that provide the extreme package like #mobile-fortify
February 1, 2026 at 5:51 AM
ausetkmt.bsky.social
#Mobile-Fortify is why you need to stop people from taking your picture
Federal Agents Are Face Scanning Americans - Mobile Fortify
YouTube video by Silicon Cowboy
youtube.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:31 AM
ajsdecepida.bsky.social
That letter functions as a useful checklist of unresolved governance questions, because it focuses on operational specifics (databases queried, “super query” features, retention, audits, opt-outs) rather than abstract pro/anti arguments.10 Open Questions that Still Control the story's Bottom Line Even with substantial reporting and filings, several facts remain pivotal and are not fully settled in the public record: Match thresholds and error-handling: What confidence level triggers escalation, and what corroboration is required before detention or other adverse action?2,9,10 Auditability: Are all scans logged with operator ID, purpose, and outcome, and are those logs reviewable for abuse or retaliation?8,10 Scope creep: Which tools are used for immigration enforcement vs. protest monitoring, and what internal rules prevent cross-use?1,11,12 Commercial data sourcing: Which brokers/feeds supply location and OSINT enrichment, and what warrants (if any) are used for the most intrusive queries?12,13 Redress: If a citizen is misidentified or flagged, what is the practical path to correct records and reverse downstream consequences?2,10 Interim Assessment Across reporting, procurement-linked investigations, federal guidance, and litigation, the pattern is consistent: biometric identification in the field is being combined with scalable data intelligence (location/social/analytics) in ways that can reach well beyond undocumented immigrants and into citizen oversight and protest activity. The sharpest unresolved issue is not whether any single technology exists, but whether the deployment posture treats these tools as fallible leads with strong guardrails — or as street-level identity adjudicators used at speed, with limited transparency and limited recourse.1,2,8‑13,16,17 Citations: 1 “The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects – and protesters” – The Washington Post (Eva Dou, Artur Galocha, Kevin Schaul; published 29-Jan-2026; interactive report) – https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2026/ice-surveillance-immigrants-protesters/ 2 “Here’s the Company That Sold DHS ICE’s Notorious Face Recognition App” – WIRED (Maddy Varner; 28-Jan-2026) – https://www.wired.com/story/mobile-fortify-face-recognition-nec-ice-cbp/ 3 “DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens” – MPR News (30-Jan-2026) – https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/30/dhs-ramps-up-surveillance-in-immigration-raids-sweeping-in-citizens 4 “How ICE is using facial recognition in Minnesota” – The Guardian (Sanya Mansoor; 27-Jan-2026) – https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/27/ice-facial-recognition-minnesota 5 “ACLU Sues Federal Government to End ICE, CBP’s Practice of Suspicionless Stops, Warrantless Arrests, and Racial Profiling of Minnesotans” – American Civil Liberties Union (press release; 15-Jan-2026) – https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-federal-government-to-end-ice-cbps-practice-of-suspicionless-stops-warrantless-arrests-and-racial-profiling-of-minnesotans 6 “Complaint: Hussen v. Noem” – United States District Court, District of Minnesota (filed 15-Jan-2026; pdf via ACLU) – https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/01/COMPLAINT-HUSSEN-v.-NOEM-1.pdf 7 “Complaint: Illinois v. DHS (and related defendants)” – Illinois Attorney General (filed 12-Jan-2026; pdf) – https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/001%20-%20Complaint%201.12.26.pdf?language_id=1 8 “M-25-21: Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust” – Office of Management and Budget (Feb-2025; pdf) – https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/M-25-21-Accelerating-Federal-Use-of-AI-through-Innovation-Governance-and-Public-Trust.pdf 9 “Face Recognition Technology Evaluation: Demographic Effects in Face Recognition” – National Institute of Standards and Technology (page; accessed 31-Jan-2026) – https://pages.nist.gov/frvt/html/frvt_demographics.html 10 “Letter to ICE on Mobile Facial Recognition Tech” – U.S. Senate (letter dated 11-Sep-2025; pdf hosted by Immigration Policy Tracking Project) – https://iptp-production.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/2025.09.11_Democratic_Senators_-_Letter_to_ICE_about_Mobile_Fortify.pdf 11 “Rights Organizations Demand Halt to Mobile Fortify, ICE’s Handheld Face Recognition Program” – Electronic Frontier Foundation (26-Nov-2025) – https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/rights-organizations-demand-halt-mobile-fortify-ices-handheld-face-recognition 12 “ICE Is Going on a Surveillance Shopping Spree” – Electronic Frontier Foundation (07-Jan-2026) – https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/ice-going-surveillance-shopping-spree 13 “ICE Can Now Spy on Every Phone in Your Neighborhood” – WIRED (10-Jan-2026) – https://www.wired.com/story/security-news-this-week-ice-can-now-spy-on-every-phone-in-your-neighborhood/ 14 “ICE Spends Millions on Clearview AI Facial Recognition to Find People ‘Assaulting’ Officers” – 404 Media (Joseph Cox; 08-Sep-2025) – https://www.404media.co/ice-spends-millions-on-clearview-ai-face-recognition-to-find-people-assaulting-officers/ 15 “Palantir granted $30 million to build ‘ImmigrationOS’ surveillance platform for ICE” – Immigration Policy Tracking Project (policy tracker entry; accessed 31-Jan-2026) – https://immpolicytracking.org/policies/reported-palantir-awarded-30-million-to-build-immigrationos-surveillance-platform-for-ice/ 16 “How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement” – Reuters (02-Jul-2025) – https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-republican-spending-bill-super-charges-immigration-enforcement-2025-07-02/ 17 “Big Budget Act Creates a ‘Deportation-Industrial Complex’” – Brennan Center for Justice (analysis; published 2025) – https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/big-budget-act-creates-deportation-industrial-complex 18 “Award: 70CMSD25P00000138” – USAspending.gov (federal spending record; accessed 31-Jan-2026) – https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CMSD25P00000138_7012_-NONE-_-NONE- 19 “Award: 70CTD022FR0000170” – USAspending.gov (federal spending record; accessed 31-Jan-2026) – https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CTD022FR0000170_7012_GS35F0086U_4730
February 1, 2026 at 4:56 AM
ajsdecepida.bsky.social
🔃 {𝗮𝙅𝙎𝘿} Accountability is asymmetric when agents can avoid identification while deploying tools that make the public more legible to the state.

My notes about the article… ⤵
{𝗮𝙅𝙎𝘿} My notes about the article… Executive Summary Recent reporting and filings describe Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection using a widening mix of biometrics, commercial data, and analytics to identify and track people during immigration operations in Minneapolis and nearby communities. The best-supported elements in the public record are: field capture of faces/fingerprints through Mobile Fortify and related CBP biometric back-ends, social-media and location intelligence products purchased from vendors, and “fusion”/casework-style analytics to tie identities to devices, locations, and networks. The same record shows oversight and redress mechanisms lagging behind deployment timelines, while lawsuits and lawmakers press for limits on street-level scanning of citizens and observers.1‑3,5,7,8,10‑12 What the Public Record Shows 1) Field biometrics: Mobile Fortify’s role and data flow WIRED reports that Mobile Fortify is treated as “deployed” and “high-impact” for both ICE and CBP, with NEC identified as the vendor and May-2025 dates cited for operational access. The description emphasises capture of faces, “contactless” fingerprints, and identity-document photos, with submissions routed into CBP biometric matching systems that return candidate matches and biographic data.2 That matters because, once street encounters rely on biometric matching, the practical question becomes less “can an officer see your paper ID?” and more “which system-of-record does the biometric match point to, and how is disagreement handled?” The public record suggests that monitoring/appeals processes are still being built out on the ICE side, even while the tool is in use.2 Too, the governance bar for “high-impact” AI is not simply a best practice — it is framed as an expectation in federal guidance. The Office of Management and Budget memo M-25-21 describes impact-assessment and risk-management expectations for high-impact AI use cases, including discontinuation when risks cannot be mitigated to an appropriate level.8 2) Accuracy and “street conditions” risk Independent testing literature does not say facial recognition “always fails,” but it does identify demographic differentials and quality sensitivity that become more consequential when captures are fast, off-angle, poorly lit, or otherwise degraded — common conditions in street encounters. The National Institute of Standards and Technology FRVT demographic materials summarise how false positives/false negatives can vary by sex/age/region-of-birth proxies and note image-quality factors that can amplify differentials.9 Put plainly: when a system is deployed in contexts most likely to stress image quality, a conservative operational posture is to treat matches as investigative leads that demand corroboration — not as an endpoint that overrides other evidence. 3) Surveillance “stack” beyond biometrics: phones, location, and social-media intelligence Multiple sources describe a broader toolchain that is not limited to face scanning. MPR reports surveillance practices in Minnesota immigration operations that “sweep in citizens,” while The Washington Post describes an arsenal that includes biometrics and other tracking methods used in proximity to protests and community oversight.1,3 The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s reporting focuses on procurement-driven expansion: contracts and capabilities for location surveillance, social-media surveillance, and phone-focused tools, framed as a broad build-out rather than a narrow, case-by-case set of investigative aids.11,12 WIRED’s security roundup likewise points to Penlink’s Tangles/Webloc capabilities as enabling neighbourhood- or block-level device monitoring and longer-term tracking in ways that can reveal patterns of life (home/work/associations).13 If the question is “How would ICE already know who protesters/observers are?”, the combined picture is that biometrics can supply an identity pivot, while location and social data can supply context, associations, and persistence — especially when integrated into casework systems.1,12,13 4) Clearview AI as a distinct capability (and a distinct risk profile) Facial recognition is not one monolith. 404 Media reports procurement records describing a multi-million-dollar purchase from Clearview AI, with stated uses including investigations of alleged assaults on law enforcement officers, and with a larger total contract value indicated in the same record.14 Even if Mobile Fortify primarily routes through CBP biometric repositories, Clearview-style tooling raises separate governance questions because it is commonly discussed as drawing from large-scale scraped image collections rather than government-only biometric galleries. 5) Palantir-style data fusion and “ImmigrationOS” claims The Washington Post describes data analytics and integration as part of the operational model.1 The Immigration Policy Tracking Project summarises reporting that Palantir received a major award to build an “ImmigrationOS” platform — an architecture consistent with fusing government and commercial datasets into a workflow for identification and tracking.15 Even if individual components are “lawful” in isolation, fusion changes the civil-liberties impact: it reduces friction, increases speed, and makes surveillance more scalable — especially when paired with street-level biometrics.1,15 6) Why this is accelerating now: money and mandate A credible explanation for rapid capability expansion is simple: funding. Reuters describes a spending bill that substantially increases resources for immigration enforcement operations, including tens of billions directed toward arrest and deportation operations.16 The Brennan Center frames this as a “deportation-industrial complex,” quantifying the step-change in annual resources available to ICE for enforcement and detention.17 When budgets jump, procurement follows — and the record above is dense with procurement-linked reporting and litigation.12,16,17 Litigation and Political Pushback in the Record Street encounters, observers, and masked enforcement The American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit materials describe masked federal agents and challenge suspicionless stops and warrantless arrests, including the detention of a U.S. citizen.5,6 Separately, Illinois and Chicago filed a complaint that includes allegations about federal collection/retention of biometric data and other conduct that, in their framing, interferes with state and local functions.7 One tension runs through these sources: agents may shield their own identifying features (masks) while using technology to rapidly identify members of the public — including people who are filming, observing, or protesting.1,5‑7 Lawmakers’ concerns (and what they ask for) A Senate letter dated 11-Sep-2025 asks ICE to explain Mobile Fortify’s purpose, limitations, datasets, vendor relationships, and safeguards — explicitly warning that even accurate on-demand surveillance can chill free speech and assembly, and that biases/field conditions raise misidentification risks.10
February 1, 2026 at 4:56 AM
ajsdecepida.bsky.social
Report: ICE in Minneapolis is using facial recognition and data tools (Mobile Fortify, Clearview, Palantir) to identify not just migrants but citizens observing raids. One woman says an agent ID’d her by face; her Global Entry was revoked days later.
F ederal immigration enforcement in the Minneapolis area is described as pairing face recognition with broader data tools, extending surveillance from targets of removal to citizens who monitor or protest. A Richfield volunteer says an agent identified her by name, unprompted, and she later lost trusted-traveller status without an explanation. “He said he had facial recognition and that his body camera was on.” Nicole Cleland, quoted in the report. “The technologies are being deployed, or appear to be deployed, in a much more aggressive way than we have seen in the past.” Nathan Freed Wessler, lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. “For years law enforcement across the nation has leveraged technological innovation to fight crime. ICE is no different.” A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. “I’m struggling to figure out what I can do, without putting myself at greater risk or putting other people at risk.” Nicole Cleland, quoted in the report.
February 1, 2026 at 4:56 AM
fruitloop16.bsky.social
ClearingTheFog
@clearing_fog
Jan 31
DHS is using Israeli phone hacking software in the US.

They also use Mobile Fortify & Clearview AI facial recognition.

They feed the info into a Palantir product that claims to provide the location of suspects.

👇
February 1, 2026 at 3:33 AM
davidcarroll.org
so ski and snowboard people are having the time of their lives especially in the northeast. When the all this insane snow melts there’s another observer regiment ready with the gear to help resist ICE: neck gaiters, gopros, and googles to foil their Mobile Fortify facial surveillance app
January 31, 2026 at 11:47 PM
bkseaze.bsky.social
Tangles, webloc, mobile fortify are some of the apps they are using. Also 12 other databases.
January 31, 2026 at 11:20 PM
chet95.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/mobile...

'... about Mobile Fortify, the face recognition app that federal immigration agents use to identify people in the field, undocumented immigrants and US citizens alike ...'

They've Shown Us What They Are, So, Time To #ThawTheFuckinICE‼️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Here’s the Company That Sold DHS ICE’s Notorious Face Recognition App
Immigration agents have used Mobile Fortify to scan the faces of countless people in the US—including many citizens.
www.wired.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:01 PM
hentmade.bsky.social
Mobile Fortify- de ice app. Hoe overheids bestanden worden gekoppeld. Doodeng. 18 minuten kennis opdoen….
January 31, 2026 at 8:15 PM
hn.rbrt.fr
Court Filings: ICE App Identifies Protesters; Global Entry, PreCheck Get Revoked
https://viewfromthewing.com/court-filings-ice-uses-mobile-fortify-to-identify-protesters-global-entry-and-precheck-get-revoked/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46832751
January 31, 2026 at 7:59 PM
newsyc200.bsky.social
Court Filings: ICE App Identifies Protesters; Global Entry, PreCheck Get Revoked https://viewfromthewing.com/court-filings-ice-uses-mobile-fortify-to-identify-protesters-global-entry-and-precheck-get-revoked/ (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46832751)
January 31, 2026 at 6:33 PM
mnicewitness.bsky.social
Luis Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was boxed in by federal agents in a Minneapolis suburb on his way to work. Masked agents demanded his ID and scanned his face with the Mobile Fortify app, releasing him only after he showed his U.S. passport. #minnesota mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...
January 31, 2026 at 5:57 PM
some-news.bsky.social
Mobile Fortify lets agents obtain vast amounts of information on anyone by scanning their face
ICE’s surveillance app is a techno-authoritarian nightmare | Moustafa Bayoumi
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:33 PM
dude-washere.bsky.social
Court Filings: ICE Uses “Mobile Fortify” To Identify Protesters — Global Entry and PreCheck Get Revoked

There is no longer any debate that America is ruled by a Facist government.
To try and state otherwise is simply willful ignorance spewing propaganda.
January 31, 2026 at 3:11 PM
maryhilt.bsky.social
ICE is using Mobile Fortify-an intelligence app that scans faces and stores the data on everyone.

You thought Edward Snowden was an alarmist?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
ICE’s surveillance app is a techno-authoritarian nightmare | Moustafa Bayoumi
Mobile Fortify lets agents obtain vast amounts of information on anyone by scanning their face
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:28 AM
brodnig.bsky.social
Dazu diese Passage aus dem Artikel der @nytimes.com
ICE is using two facial recognition programs in Minnesota, they said, including one made by the tech company Clearview AI and a newer program, Mobile Fortify. The agency 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 current and former officials said. “The technologies are being deployed, or appear to be deployed, in a much more aggressive way than we have seen in the past,” said Nathan Freed Wessler, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has sued the Homeland Security Department over the immigration operation in Minneapolis. “The conglomeration of all these technologies together is giving the government unprecedented abilities.”
January 31, 2026 at 8:25 AM
mrfahrenheit.bsky.social
ICE’s surveillance app is a techno-authoritarian nightmare

Mobile Fortify lets agents obtain vast amounts of information on anyone by scanning their face
ICE’s surveillance app is a techno-authoritarian nightmare | Moustafa Bayoumi
Mobile Fortify lets agents obtain vast amounts of information on anyone by scanning their face
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:42 AM
kimberlyjsoenen.bsky.social
DHS is throttling up on surveillance of citizens. Mobile Fortify continues to aid in terror, inaccuracies, and human rights abuses.

www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis is providing insights into the surveillance technologies the government is using in its mass deportation campaign. Department of Homelan...
www.mprnews.org
January 31, 2026 at 5:41 AM
ausetkmt.bsky.social
That's one of the curious things about #mobile-fortify is that it cannot come up with an absolute match on faces even if it's within the database relatively recently

Programs are built to allow enough of a margin for failure to allow outright murder as a technical error
valleygirl65.bsky.social The 80's Called @valleygirl65.bsky.social · 3d
I find it curious Pretti was wearing the exact same clothes as the day he died. I also find it curious that this video did not surface until after his death. Lastly, wouldn't positive face recognition occur for the same person in two different videos even if fake?
January 31, 2026 at 5:18 AM
hot.hn
📰 Court Filings: ICE App Identifies Protesters; Global Entry, PreCheck Get Revoked

🔗 https://viewfromthewing.com/court-filings-ice-uses-mobile-fortify-to-identify-protesters-global-entry-and-precheck-get-revoked/

💬 Discuss on HN
January 31, 2026 at 4:16 AM