Secret Service pilots AI face-scanning app for threat cases
What's new: The Washington pilot covers 25 uniformed officers, who usually must get consent before scanning faces or fingerprints.
The US Secret Service has started testing a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to scan faces or fingerprints and compare them with government databases as part of threat investigations. The app, called Sentry, was rolled out recently to 25 uniformed Secret Service officers in Washington after the agency finalized its agreement on May 18. Those officers mainly protect government buildings, including the White House and foreign embassies. The move comes as the agency reports a 40% rise in threats investigated in 2026 from the same period a year earlier, alongside nearly 10 times more interventions involving people who may have mental illness. The trial also broadens law enforcement use of facial-recognition tools that have drawn privacy concerns.