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Congress·In Committee·about 2 months ago

Congress Proposes Ban on Homeland Security Facial Recognition Apps Outside of Border Crossings

Also known as: Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impacts

Mixed Impacts(2)
Visa Holder
Neutral

Reduces surveillance in daily life but may still face facial recognition scans when entering or leaving the country at ports of entry.

Federal Employee
Neutral

DHS employees can only use these apps at ports of entry, limiting their enforcement tools but protecting civil liberties.

Positive Impacts(4)
Immigrant
Helps

Limits facial recognition tracking outside ports of entry, reducing surveillance during daily activities and interactions with immigration enforcement.

Undocumented
Helps

Restricts DHS use of facial recognition apps in communities, limiting identification and tracking capabilities away from borders.

Naturalized Citizen
Helps

Biometric data captured by these apps must be destroyed within 12 hours, protecting privacy rights of U.S. citizens.

Tribal Member
Helps

Prevents DHS from sharing facial recognition apps with tribal law enforcement agencies, limiting surveillance technology spread.

Key Points

  • This proposal from Mr. Thompson of Mississippi would stop the Department of Homeland Security from using certain facial recognition apps on mobile phones in most places. These apps would only be allowed at official border crossings or international airports.
  • The Department would have to delete any photos or fingerprints of U.S. citizens that were already collected using these specific apps. They would also have to remotely disable the software on any phones that are not owned by the Department.
  • Under these rules, the Department would be banned from sharing these facial recognition tools with local police, state agencies, or other parts of the federal government.
  • If the government does use these apps at a border crossing to identify someone, they would be required to destroy that person's photos or fingerprints within 12 hours of capturing them.
  • This plan aims to increase privacy for Americans by making sure law enforcement cannot use these powerful tracking tools during routine daily life away from the country's borders.
Data PrivacyCivil RightsImmigrationNational SecurityTechnology

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 15, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

30 days after the bill becomes law

DHS must create new rules limiting facial recognition apps to ports of entry only

The Department has one month to write standards that stop agents from using these tracking apps during patrols, raids, or other enforcement activities away from borders and airports.

Shortly after the 30-day implementation deadline

DHS must delete all existing biometric data of U.S. citizens collected through these apps

Any photos or fingerprints of Americans already captured by Mobile Fortify or Mobile Identify apps will be permanently erased from government databases.

After new standards take effect

Future biometric scans at ports of entry must be destroyed within 12 hours

If you're a U.S. citizen scanned at an airport or border crossing, your facial photo and fingerprints can only be kept for half a day before being deleted.

Related News

3 articles
Politico·about 2 months ago

Democrats want to limit ICE's use of facial recognition apps

House Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson introduced the Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act, targeting the 'Mobile Fortify' app used by ICE. The bill faces a difficult path in a Republican-controlled House but has strong caucus support.

CL~
Biometric Update·about 2 months ago

Lawmakers move to rein in ICE's use of mobile facial recognition

Rep. Bennie Thompson's new bill aims to curb the deployment of facial recognition and fingerprinting tools in public spaces. It specifically targets the Mobile Fortify app, requiring the destruction of biometric data collected from U.S. citizens outside of official ports of entry.

C=
TechPolicy.Press·28 days ago

January 2026 US Tech Policy Roundup

The Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 7124) was introduced this month to prohibit facial recognition mobile phone applications outside ports of entry, part of a broader push for biometric oversight.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act

Bill NumberHR 7124
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)
D: 5

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.