The U.S. is using dirty data to screen immigrants from El Salvador

End agreements on sharing people's biometric data

People from El Salvador aren’t the only ones whose fates are being based on data sharing agreements. The governments of El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras are all sharing people's biometric data with U.S. authorities. These agreements enable abusive surveillance, as authorities can “collect and exchange migrants’ biometric data at their discretion,” says Access Now’s Ángela Alarcón. Together with our partners, we are calling for such agreements to be terminated. Read more in English or Spanish. Read more via Access Now

The AI surveillance tool DHS uses to detect “sentiment and emotion”

The DHS is also using AI-driven “emotion recognition” technology to analyze the data it collects, a new report by 404 Media has revealed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is part of the DHS, has bought millions of dollars worth of software from Fivecast, intended to help detect “risk terms and phrases” in open source data such as online social media posts, images, or videos. Such “predictive” technologies are rarely rights-respecting, and should not be used against anyone, let alone potentially used against people on the move seeking safety and shelter. Read more via 404 Media

Migrants take the U.S. to court over its glitchy asylum app

The difficulties U.S. immigrants face with the use of technology don't end with biometric data sharing. If you’re stranded at the border, you not only need a working smartphone to use CBP One, the app that provides the only pathway to applying for an asylum appointment; you also need internet access, mobile data, and the ability to speak one of just three languages the app uses. A new lawsuit filed against the Biden administration by immigrants’ rights groups argues that this amounts to discrimination, and prevents people from exercising their legal right to seek asylum. Read more via Coda

Mass surveillance in India must stop

A Financial Times report alleges that, even as India’s government touts its commitment to privacy, they are embedding surveillance software into telecommunications infrastructure that connects 1.4 billion Indians to each other – and to the world. As Access Now’s Raman Jit Singh Chima points out, “it is alarming that despite claiming to be an ‘architect of the new digital economy,’ India has taken no concrete steps towards prohibiting mass surveillance technology.” Access Now urges India to adopt a rights-respecting model of privacy and data protection, and introduce surveillance reform which truly safeguards fundamental rights. Read more via Access Now

Cellebrite asks cops to keep its phone hacking tech "hush hush"

Israeli spyware manufacturer Cellebrite tells its law enforcement customers to keep quiet about their technology, reports TechCrunch – a stance legal experts warn could undermine public accountability. Cellebrite’s tech is used by authorities in Australia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and the U.S. – where all but one of the 15 U.S. Cabinet departments have acquired Cellebrite products. Speaking to The Intercept, Access Now’s Natalia Krapiva argues that it “should be up for public discussion as to whether we as a society accept that such invasive tools are being used by educational institutions, private firms, and government agencies.” Read more via TechCrunch

Meta refuses to block Cambodian President Hun Sen’s accounts

Meta’s Oversight Board was supposed to help the company “answer some of the most difficult questions around freedom of expression online.” But, as it turns out, Meta can ignore the answers if they don’t like them. This week, the company announced it would not implement an Oversight Board recommendation to ban Cambodian President Hun Sen from its platforms, despite his use of Facebook and Instagram to incite violence against political opponents. As Access Now’s Golda Benjamin observes in an interview with WIRED, the failure to prevent further incitement confirms doubts over Meta's “sincerity and commitment to its own policies against violent and harmful content.” Read more via Access Now

Gabon cut internet access during major elections, deepening instability

Despite pleas from civil society to #KeepItOn, Gabon’s President Ali Bongo cut off his country’s access to the internet right when people needed it most – as polls closed during the country’s presidential election last Saturday August 26. After President Bongo proceeded to claim victory, a military coup ensued, and internet access has reportedly been gradually restored. Read more via AP News

Zimbabwe election marred by attacks on observers 

In Zimbabwe, which also held elections last week, the #KeepItOn coalition was unable to confirm reports of shutdowns during the election period. However, the integrity and outcome of the election remains in question. Police arrested 41 local election monitors, seizing their computers and mobile phones, in multiple raids, undermining the government’s assurances of allowing independent observation. Read more via Monitor

The UAE must release Ahmed Mansoor ahead of COP 28

We’ve said it before: the country promising to “allow” peaceful protest during an upcoming global climate summit shouldn’t be holding human rights defenders in jail. Yet the UAE, which will host COP28 this November, continues to detain dozens of activists, including Ahmed Mansoor, a renowned human rights defender. With COP28 approaching, Access Now has joined 18 other civil society organizations in calling on the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to press the UAE to release Mansoor and all unjustly detained human rights defenders. Read our joint letter here. Read more via Access Now

In last week's issue of Express, we stated that "54% of the world's TikTok users live in Kenya." In fact, the 54% figure referred to the percentage of Kenyans who use TikTok domestically. We apologize for this error.

We’re hiring! Digital Security Helpline Manager (MENA)

Are you a digital  security expert eager to join our Digital Security Helpline team in the MENA region? Are you ready to lead a team of technologists in responding to digital emergencies in real-time? If so, we’re seeking a MENA Digital Security Helpline Manager, to be based in Tunis, Tunisia. Learn more and apply. Learn more via Access Now