H.R. 7124: Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act

This bill, titled the Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act, aims to regulate the use of facial recognition technologies through mobile phone applications by agencies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Here are the main points of the bill:

Prohibition of Use

The bill proposes the following restrictions regarding facial recognition applications like the Mobile Fortify Mobile Application and the Mobile Identify Mobile Application:

• These applications can only be used for identification purposes at U.S. ports of entry.
• They cannot be shared with any other federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial agencies.

Application Management

In addition to the use prohibition, the bill stipulates that:

• All applications mentioned must be removed from DHS and its components' information technology systems, except where they are used for identification at ports of entry.
• The DHS must be able to remotely disable any of these applications that are downloaded onto any technology not owned by the department.

Data Destruction Requirements

The bill also establishes strict requirements for the management of data collected through these applications:

• All images, photographs, or fingerprints of U.S. citizens taken through these applications must be destroyed immediately once the bill's guidelines are implemented.
• If any images, photographs, or fingerprints are captured at a port of entry, they must be deleted within 12 hours of collection.

Implementation Timeline

The bill mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security must develop the necessary guidelines and standards for implementing these provisions within 30 days of the bill becoming law.

Overall, the goal of this legislation is to tighten the regulations surrounding the use of biometric data to enhance the privacy protections for American citizens, particularly regarding the use of facial recognition technology by federal agencies.

Relevant Companies

None found.