A former official from the Department of Homeland Security, who recently left their position, expressed concerns over certain applications, stating, “I’ve seen the apps and I don’t like them. They are ripe for misuse. I suspect they are being utilized in ways not originally intended.”

This official pointed out the dangers of misidentification, emphasizing that facial recognition technology often shows higher error rates for individuals of color. “I have little faith in any oversight from people who truly understand this technology,” he remarked.

In September, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) renewed its contract with Clearview AI, a facial recognition search platform banned in some states. Initially, this tool was intended for use in “child sexual exploitation cases,” but the latest contract broadens its application to include “assaults against law enforcement.” Former officials worry this could extend to protesters. Clearview AI declined to comment on the issue.

ICE has entered into a contract with BI² Technologies for handheld eye scanners. Some former officials questioned the necessity of these devices, noting the agency holds few iris scans for reference. “My initial question is why?” a former privacy official wondered. “What do they hope to achieve with this? If they’re merely collecting irises and biometrics, that’s troubling to me.”

BI² Technologies’ registered lobbyist, Ballard Partners, maintains strong connections to the Trump administration, having raised funds for its campaign and previously employing Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

BI²’s registered lobbyist, Ballard Partners, has close ties to the Trump administration, raising money for its campaign and previously employing Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Lobbying disclosures show that Ballard also works on behalf of a host of other tech firms doing business with ICE, including Palantir; DNA testing firm SNA International; cell-phone intercept vendor L3Harris; open-source data broker Babel Street; and the Thomson Reuters subsidiary selling Clear. Ballard declined to comment.

“They’re spending a lot of money on things they might not even use, to benefit people who are maybe close to the administration,” says Dave Maass, director of investigations at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy nonprofit monitoring ICE’s surveillance purchases. “They’re moving very fast.”

Procurement records also show that ICE has obtained tools previous administrations found problematic.

In August, ICE removed a hold on a $2mn contract with the Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions, which sells a phone-hacking tool called Graphite. It has been used by the Italian government to target European journalists with iMessage and WhatsApp attacks, according to researchers at CitizenLab.

The contract was paused by the Biden White House, which had banned the use of spyware sold by foreign companies with human rights concerns. Paragon was subsequently acquired by US-based private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, which also controls Department of Defense contractor REDLattice.