CBSA introduces facial recognition app to track migrants
Ottawa has launched a mobile app to track permanent residents, foreign nationals and refugee claimants required to report to border agents while awaiting deportations or final decisions on their immigration status in Canada.
The ReportIn app, which uses facial recognition technology and location data to confirm identity and the person’s whereabouts, is meant to be an alternative to detention, allowing those subject to immigration enforcement conditions to report to authorities without attending a Canada Border Services Agency office in person.
While the app is intended to be a reporting tool, experts warn it has the potential to facilitate surveillance and removal.
The previous voice reporting system was decommissioned in March. Since the app was introduced Nov. 13, at least 40 people have enrolled in the program voluntarily.
“An individual’s location will be shared with the CBSA when the individual submits a report, and if an individual fails to comply with their reporting condition, an investigation is opened,” said Rebecca Purdy, a spokesperson for the agency.
“ReportIn does not continuously track their movements through their phone as a means of ongoing surveillance.”
The app was rolled out at a time when the federal government is under tremendous pressure to slow the country’s population growth by reducing immigration amid a housing and affordability crisis. However, much of the reduction plan is hinging on the assumption that 1,262,801 temporary residents would leave Canada voluntarily when their status expires in 2025, and another 1,104,658 in 2026.
The new tracking tool also came online in the wake of the threats by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump to impose 25 per cent tariffs against Canadian imports if Ottawa fails to get its border security in order and stop irregular migration and fentanyl smuggling from north of the border.
“This tool is going to be scaled up (and) allow for larger numbers,” said immigration lawyer Will Tao, who monitors the use of technologies in immigration. “That’s going to be part of the plan of removing temporary residents” with expired status.
He was surprised the public rollout of the app came on the same day that Ottawa released the app’s algorithmic impact assessment, which he said lacks transparency in reaching the conclusion that the facial recognition tool is free from racial bias.
“How’s it been tested? How did we get here and then suddenly it was launched?” he asked. “If we don’t see these products in the first pitch phase and aren’t able to comment, we won’t be able to analyze how they developed over time.”
According to the assessment, the border agency is responsible for monitoring 125,000 people facing immigration enforcement proceedings in Canada. About 10 per cent or 13,000 of them are being “actively monitored,” but each year some 2,000 of those who are required to leave the country fail to appear, and arrest warrants are subsequently issued.
“The lack of updated contact information, combined with the clients’ desire to remain in Canada, are two root causes behind immigration enforcement clients not leaving Canada when required,” said the assessment report.
The border agency noted that the planning and development of the app started back in June 2021, and its launch is unrelated to the U.S. presidential election results and politics.
According to Purdy, should a candidate be suitable for the ReportIn app and choose to use it over reporting in person, onboarding will be conducted in person at a CBSA office and the person will be informed about how their personal information will be collected, used and disclosed.
Once enrolled, the person receives a unique code to access the app, which uses technology similar to the facial unlocking mechanism in smartphones.
“If the client chooses not to share their location at the time of reporting, they will be ineligible for remote reporting and other alternatives to detention will be assessed,” said Purdy.
“The ReportIn app does not make automated decisions. It is a facial matching system that has many checks and verifications in place to determine entitlement and validate identity.”
She said the agency is aware of concerns over possible bias associated with higher facial match error rates for certain ethnicities but is committed to ensuring that the potential for bias within the technology is mitigated. Not only did an evaluation of the software by Credo AI, a third-party company, find a 99.9 per cent facial match rate across six different demographic groups, she said all submissions are ultimately reviewed by staff.
Despite human oversight, University of Windsor Prof. Kristen Thomasen questions the staff review’s effectiveness in correcting errors because of the tendency for people to defer to decisions made by machines. She’s also not convinced participation in the app program is really voluntary.
If a person is flagged, “their choice is detention and prison, so loss of liberty, a very disruptive schedule of check-ins or downloading facial surveillance, like biometric surveillance onto their phone,” said the university’s chair in law robotics and society. “Even if it’s framed as voluntary, I don’t feel that’s true.”
While the app has been sold as a convenience, Thomasen said she’s concerned that the government is increasingly feeding into surveillance infrastructure and the collection of biometric information that could potentially be shared among law enforcement agencies and infringe on people’s freedom of movement.
The border agency said the app cost $3.8 million to develop over four years, with an additional $600,000 in ongoing support. So far, more than 270 border officers have received training for the tool.
This article was first reported by The Star
