ACLU Statement on Border Patrol Data Breach

WASHINGTON — Customs and Border Patrol today announced photos of travelers leaving and entering the country were recently compromised in a data breach. Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:

“This breach comes just as CBP seeks to expand its massive face recognition apparatus and collection of sensitive information from travelers, including license plate information and social media identifiers. This incident further underscores the need to put the brakes on these efforts and for Congress to investigate the agency’s data practices. The best way to avoid breaches of sensitive personal data is not to collect and retain such data in the first place.”