More criticism for border live-testing app for asylum-seekers

It might be impossible to get a biometric asylum app created by the U.S. government to meet expectations, according to at least one skeptical senator.

Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) says the app “has been plagued by significant technical problems and privacy concerns” and should be ended.

CBP One is a Customs and Border Protection mobile app designed to prevent people seeking asylum in the United States at the Southwest border. The app encourages people to schedule appointments, preferably in their home nations, hopefully reducing humanitarian problems at the border.

People scan their faces with an iOS or Android phone as a liveness check, but some migrant representatives and advocates say the face biometrics algorithm does not work for people of color as well as it does for those with lighter skin.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security reportedly told to The Washington Post that no group is being ignored by the AI algorithm.

According to the source, 40 precent of applicants using CBP One to get a health exemption at the border during one week this month were Haitian, proving the point.

That is, in fact, a problem Markey cites in his call for a “compassionate, lawful and human rights-centered approach,” probably one that is less automated.

Support for Haitian Creole was added to CBP One just weeks ago as the agency attempts to adapt the app to meet demand.

Markey also notes that a phone app is of little use to someone with nothing but the clothes they are wearing or no Wi-Fi connectivity.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  CBP One  |  face biometrics  |  mobile app  |  United States