The Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants help from technology companies to help keep track of visa holders in the United States, Newsweek reports. ICE officials hope to develop algorithms that would evaluate any potential threats from visa holders. They would use social media surveillance to determine those that are at high risk, ProPublica informs. Microsoft, Deloitte and Motorola Solutions are some of the potential companies that could take part.
“We have millions and millions and millions of people coming every year, and subsequently departing, so we have to be smart about it,” Louis Rodi, deputy assistant director of one of ICE’s national security programs, said.
The program is part of President Donald Trump’s plans for the “extreme vetting” of visitors from Muslim countries in the wake of militant attacks. The program was renamed to “Visa Lifecycle Vetting” because of the criticism as many felt that the plan would discriminate against Muslim visitors. But, ICE says that the goal of the initiative, which is enhanced monitoring of visa holders using social media, remains the same.
According to the spokeswoman for ICE, Carissa Cutrell, the Department of Homeland Security has not begun building the program. She said that the department was only gathering information from the leaders in the industry. ICE plans to expand its operation even though it monitors some social media posts. The department now wants to get automated notifications about social media activity from visa holders. ICE now uses a tool that searches for connections to militant groups. Supporters of the plan say that the information from the social media is very important.
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