Canada launches new app to track people who might get deported

The app is meant to be an alternative to detention
Dec 23, 202411:06 AM EST
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The Canadian government has a new mobile app that will track permanent residents, foreign nationals, and people seeking refugee status who are in the final stages of deportation or immigration status.

The app is called ReportIn and uses facial scanning and location data to confirm someone’s identity and location so that the Canada Border Services Agency can check in on them without needing to visit a Border Agency office in person.

A voice-based reporting tool was discontinued in March 2024, and the new ReportIn app was launched on November 13. According to a report in the Toronto Star, at least 40 people have signed up voluntarily to use the new app.

It isn’t constantly tracking its users, but when they’re required to check in, the app will build a report when they log in, and it will also drop a pin where they checked in, but it won’t constantly track their location.

The Border Agency needs to monitor around 125,000 people facing immigration. The report mentions that 13,000 of them are being monitored, and each year, around 2,000 are supposed to leave the country but never show up for their appointments and then get warrants placed on them for arrest.

When someone signs up to use the app, they need to have an in-person appointment with a border agent who will explain to them the privacy implications of the app using your facial scan and location data.

The app costs $3.8 million to develop and took four years, but it still has a $600,000 budget for ongoing support to tackle any bugs or additions that might be needed as it rolls out to more people.

Source: The Toronto Star

Image Source: Shutterstock

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