Senate Democrats recently introduced the "ICE Out of Our Faces Act," a bill that would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from utilizing facial recognition technology and other biometric surveillance systems, according to Ars Technica. The proposed legislation, which would also mandate the deletion of previously collected data, comes as concerns grow over the use of such technology by government agencies.
The bill, if passed, would make it unlawful for immigration officers to acquire, possess, access, or use any biometric surveillance system within the United States, or to utilize information derived from such systems operated by other entities, Ars Technica reported. This move follows the deployment of the face-recognition app Mobile Fortify by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the spring of 2025, as revealed by Wired. Mobile Fortify, designed to verify the identities of individuals stopped or detained by DHS officers, was reportedly rolled out without the usual scrutiny given to technologies impacting privacy.
The introduction of the bill reflects broader debates about the use of technology by government agencies. The rollout of Mobile Fortify was explicitly linked to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which called for a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Wired noted. This context highlights the potential for such technologies to be used in ways that raise civil liberties concerns.
The use of facial recognition technology by ICE and CBP has been a subject of ongoing scrutiny. The proposed ban extends beyond facial recognition to cover other biometric surveillance technologies, such as voice recognition, according to Ars Technica. The bill's sponsors likely aim to address concerns about potential misuse and the privacy implications of these technologies.
The development of AI-powered coding models also raises important questions about technology and its impact on society. OpenAI's newest model, GPT-5.3-Codex, shows markedly higher performance on coding benchmarks, according to Fortune. However, the company is rolling out the model with unusually tight controls, as the same capabilities that make it effective at writing code also raise serious cybersecurity concerns.
Meanwhile, Gen Z creators in the U.S. are staging a quiet revolt against TikTok's new American owners, installing a rising alternative app built by a former Oracle employee, Fortune reported. In January, TikTok's U.S. operation was formally split from its global business and placed under a new joint venture in which Oracle holds a major stake. This shift has led some young users to view the app as an instrument of corporate and political power.
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