AI Policy & Regulation
May 12, 2026
DHS seeks funding to develop AI smart glasses for real-time facial recognition by agents
May 12, 2026
AI Summary
The Department of Homeland Security is requesting $7.5 million to develop smart glasses that would enable agents to identify individuals using facial recognition technology in real time. This proposal comes amid ongoing concerns about the use of surveillance technologies by ICE and their implications for privacy and civil rights.
- ICE agents have been using Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses during enforcement operations since 2017.
- The DHS aims to create its own smart glasses to enhance agents' ability to identify individuals on the street using biometric data.
- The funding request is part of the DHS's fiscal year 2027 budget, focusing on developing technologies for detaining individuals unlawfully in the U.S.
- ICE has already implemented a biometric app called Mobile Fortify, which has been used over 100,000 times since its launch in 2025, raising concerns about its use on U.S. citizens and lawful residents.
- There are allegations that the facial recognition technology can be applied broadly, not just on targeted individuals, leading to privacy concerns.
- Lawmakers have expressed surprise at the smart glasses proposal, with some advocating for limits on ICE's use of existing surveillance technologies.
- Recent legislative efforts, such as the ICE Out of Our Faces Act, aim to ban the use of facial recognition by ICE and CBP and require the deletion of collected biometric data, though these efforts have not progressed in Congress.
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