According to a recent agreement between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE officials will gain access to the personal data of approximately 79 million Medicaid enrollees. This information includes home addresses, ethnicities, and other identifying details, which will be used to locate and track down immigrants potentially residing in the United States unlawfully. The agreement will allow ICE to access the CMS data for identity and location information on aliens, despite previous objections from lawmakers and CMS officials regarding the legality of sharing such sensitive health data. This move is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to enforce immigration policies, raising concerns about the potential impact on individuals seeking medical assistance and healthcare access.
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H.R.3782 aims to prohibit the Federal Government from utilizing facial recognition technology for identity verification, among other purposes. This bill sparks considerable debate, highlighting the complexities of balancing technological advancement with individual privacy concerns. The existing use of facial recognition by agencies like the IRS, through platforms such as ID.me, underscores the urgency behind such legislative efforts.
The bill’s focus on identity verification seems, at first glance, relatively straightforward. However, concerns arise regarding the vagueness of the “other purposes” clause, leaving room for ambiguity and potential loopholes. The lack of specificity invites criticism and raises questions about the bill’s overall scope and effectiveness.… Continue reading
Documents reveal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indirectly accessed Flock Safety’s extensive network of AI-powered license plate readers through state and local law enforcement requests. Over 4,000 searches citing immigration-related reasons were conducted across numerous states, despite Illinois law and Flock Safety’s policies prohibiting such use. This access occurred via Flock Safety’s “National Lookup” tool, raising concerns about privacy and oversight despite the company’s claim of local data control. The practice highlights the potential for circumventing legal restrictions on immigration enforcement through collaborations with local agencies.
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Apple’s new Enhanced Visual Search feature, enabled by default in iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, analyzes photos for landmarks using on-device machine learning and homomorphic encryption before sending encrypted data to Apple servers for identification. This process, while claimed to protect user privacy through encryption and differential privacy, sparked controversy due to its lack of explicit user consent and potential for metadata upload before opt-out is possible. Critics argue this approach, despite theoretical privacy protections, is problematic due to its unilateral deployment and lack of transparency from Apple. Concerns remain regarding the potential for data leakage, despite Apple’s assertions to the contrary.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood