SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Amnesty International is accusing the United States government of using artificial intelligence (AI) to spy on foreign students now in the U.S.
The agency, based in England, says this is all part of Donald Trump’s “anti-migrant offensive.”
It goes on to say the “U.S. authorities are using automated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered surveillance tools to deliberately target non-US citizens and pose risks to those who speak out for Palestinian rights … amid the country’s ongoing unlawful clampdown on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.”
According to Amnesty International, it reviewed documentation from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) public records, and previously disclosed procurement and privacy assessment documents, showing that AI tools Babel X, provided by Babel Street, and Palantir’s Immigration OS, have automated capabilities that enable constant mass monitoring, surveillance, and assessments of people, often for the purpose of targeting non U.S. citizens.
Its research also “exposes how these tools are being used by the US government to track migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and ultimately carry a high risk of being used as part of the ‘Catch and Revoke’ initiative.”
“It is deeply concerning that the US government is deploying invasive AI-powered technologies within a context of a mass deportation agenda and crackdown on pro-Palestine expression, leading to a host of human rights violations,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International. “These technologies enable authorities to swiftly track and target international students and other marginalized migrant groups at an unprecedented scale and scope. This has led to a pattern of unlawful detentions and mass deportations, creating a climate of fear and exacerbating the ‘chilling effect’ for migrant communities and for international students across schools and campuses.”
“Catch and Revoke” is said to be AI driven technology that combines social media monitoring, visa status tracking, and automated threat assessments of foreign individuals on visas, including international students.
According to Amnesty International, AI tools supplied by Babel Street and Palantir, play a key role in the U.S.’s ability to identify people, as well as their behavior and movements, more quickly and on a large scale to determine if their visas should be revoked.
It goes on to say, “The current administration’s repressive tactics and summary revocation of people’s immigration status demonstrate a complete disregard for the human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It represents an overt violation of the right to equality and non-discrimination, with visa-holders, and asylees explicitly targeted by the AI-driven systems.
Back in April, the White House issued a statement about the need to incorporate AI into government practices, although it did not specifically address the “spying” alleged by Amnesty International.
