Why was CBP’s immigrant facial recognition app pulled from Google Play Store?

An app that allowed police to use facial recognition technology to identify illegal immigrants has reportedly been pulled from Google Play. The app, rolled out by the Trump administration, could not be found on CBP's website either, Newsweek reported.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the Mobile Identify app a few weeks ago in November. However, it disappeared on Friday, December 5, 404 Media reported.

The app was not listed on Google Play as of Friday afternoon, with the link appearing to be broken. It was launched in November, and allowed users, including federal agents and local police, to identify individuals without legal status by using facial recognition databases held by CBP and ICE.

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While a specific reason has not been cited for the site being pulled, 404 Media revealed that some staff at Google were reported to be unhappy with the app being included on the company's store. According to reports circulating in recent weeks, some people positively identified by the app included US citizens.

Google told the outlet that the app could only be used by those with official government logins. It added that the company would take action if it found any violations of its policies.

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“This app is only usable with an official government login and does not publicly broadcast specific user data or location. Play has robust policies and when we find a violation, we take action,” said Google.

New York Republican Representative Andrew Garbarino told Newsweek about ICE agent tracking apps, "Apps that broadcast the location and identity of law enforcement personnel don't just put them at risk – they undermine lawful government operations and embolden bad actors. The Committee wants clear answers on what tech companies are doing to stop this abuse. Protecting our law enforcement officers is fundamental to protecting the safety and security of our communities.”

It was unclear as of Friday afternoon whether the removal is temporary or not.

Source: HindustanTimes
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