Democratic lawmakers have sent letters to governors in several states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, and Wisconsin, warning them about the unintended sharing of residents’ personal data with federal immigration authorities. The letters highlight that states are granting organizations like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to drivers’ license information through the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (Nlets), a system managed by state police agencies.
This practice of sharing drivers’ data has been ongoing for around twenty years, allowing federal and local law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada to access this information without state employee involvement. Concerns have been raised that ICE might be utilizing drivers’ license photos for their Mobile Fortify facial recognition app, which contains a database of around 200 million photos.
The lawmakers have urged governors to intervene and halt this data sharing to prevent federal agencies from using the information without residents’ knowledge. ICE and Nlets have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding this matter.
Source: TechCrunch