DHS Ramps Up Surveillance in Immigration Raids, Sweeping In Citizens
(Omaha World-Herald, Mar 11, 2026)
DHS is expanding the use of biometric and digital surveillance in immigration raids, including face scanning apps and other identity tools that can collect data on bystanders and U.S. citizens during enforcement operations. The report highlights civil-liberties concerns about how biometric identifiers are captured in the field, how long they are retained, and how broadly they can be shared across DHS systems once ingested, increasing the risk of misidentification and mission creep beyond immigration targets.
CMS Touts Early Uses of New Biometric Verification Tools for Medicare.gov
(Nextgov/FCW, Mar 11, 2026)
CMS added “modern identity credentials” to Medicare.gov—Login.gov, ID.me, and CLEAR—allowing new account creators to authenticate using biometric verification flows similar to other consumer services. Early adoption metrics shared at HIMSS indicated roughly 60% of new accounts used one of the new providers within the first several days, with most users already identity-verified elsewhere—underscoring the growing role of reusable biometric-backed digital identity in reducing fraud and account takeover for government services.
Facial Recognition Pilot Rolls Out at Rhode Island Courthouse Entra
(NBC 10 News (WJAR), Mar 11, 2026)
Rhode Island’s judiciary has begun piloting facial recognition at courthouse entrances for “threat monitoring,” with access limited to Judiciary Security personnel and a data-usage policy still being finalized. Civil liberties advocates are pressing for transparency on the biometric watchlist/database used, retention periods, and any sharing controls—especially amid concerns that courthouse visitors could be swept into broader law-enforcement or immigration enforcement data flows—and experts note accuracy depends heavily on clear governance rules.
The Vertical Commute and Why Tokyo’s Rooftop Facial Recognition Trials Are the Blueprint for America’s High-Altitude Transit Future
(Torque News, Mar 11, 2026)
Tokyo developers are piloting facial-recognition check-in and automated security screening at rooftop “vertiports” designed for eVTOL air taxis, aiming for walk-through biometric identity verification that reduces manual ID checks and queueing. The article argues U.S. cities could adapt existing rooftop helipads into vertiports, but would need privacy-by-design controls and compliance with U.S. biometric laws (e.g., notice/consent and data minimization) to scale face-based access control in public transit-like settings.
Live Facial Recognition Cameras for Oxford Street as Met Tells Phone Companies to Act on Mobile Crime
(The Standard, Mar 11, 2026)
The Metropolitan Police wants live facial recognition deployed on the soon-to-be pedestrianised stretch of Oxford Street as part of a broader “design out crime” push to cut West End phone thefts by 20% this year. The plan pairs public-space biometric watchlist scanning with pressure on Apple, Google, and Samsung to implement stronger “kill switch” protections that would make stolen phones worthless to organized theft networks.
