An activist’s AI project identifying masked ICE officers has ignited political battles over surveillance, privacy, and public accountability.
An activist-led project using artificial intelligence to unmask Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers has sparked heated political debate in Washington.
Dominick Skinner, a Netherlands-based activist, claims his team has identified more than 20 masked ICE agents using AI tools. “We are able to reveal a face using AI, if they have 35 percent or more of the face visible,” Skinner told POLITICO. The project, part of his “ICE List” campaign, has already published over 100 names of ICE employees.
ICE insists masks are worn for safety, not secrecy. “These misinformed activists and others like them are the very reason the brave men and women of ICE choose to wear masks,” spokesperson Tanya Roman said, warning that the listings endanger officers and families.
Lawmakers are divided. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) argued that ICE agents “don’t deserve to be hunted online by activists using AI,” while Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said he had “serious concerns about the reliability, safety and privacy implications of facial recognition tools.”
So far, no legislation has directly addressed public use of AI facial recognition. Privacy advocates say stronger data protections, not masking, would best safeguard officers.