Quiz

Question 12

Have you ever been arrested by the police?

Because you've been arrested

Even a “cite-and-release” arrest leaves a record in certain databases that can criminalize you later, even if you are not convicted. Many law enforcement computer systems, like NCICOpens in new tab, NletsOpens in new tab, ACRIMeOpens in new tab, NGIOpens in new tab, and IDENT/HARTOpens in new tab,  automatically cross-reference each other to compile criminal or immigration records and build a profile of you.

Old arrest records can flag you when you’re:

  • crossing a US border
  • being investigated by ICE
  • the subject of a background check when filing for an immigration “benefit” like a work visa or asylum status.

Some data systems you may encounter, including the ones listed above, include local law enforcement databases.  These include state police departments; traffic, county and state courts; and private data aggregators that resell criminal legal data.

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been no, click the no button.

If you live in an area with gang activity

Even if you have never been arrested by the police, you might still be in criminalizing databases. Some examples of when this can happen include if you:

  • live in an area that police claim has gang activity;
  • have family or community who are in gangs;
  • are Black or brown or immigrant; and/or
  • are thought to have ties to people suspected to be involved in terrorism.

Databases with such records include: 

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been yes, click the yes button.

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Of the 13 monsters in this quiz, it looks like your data may be tracked by the following:

But there may be other smaller surveillance databases not covered in the quiz.

You may be asking yourself "What can we do?".

What now?

To learn more, check out the full From Data Criminalization to Prison Abolition Report.

Learn how you can Take Action

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More about this quiz

There is no single database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can consult to find a list of everyone they are able to deport.

As a workaround, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cross-checks many existing datasets. They use information from international visitors, visa holders, and arrest and conviction records. These datasets are not always reliable  at determining legal status. They are also deeply flawed, racist, and xenophobic.

More and more, DHS buys data from corporations to supplement their own databases. They can buy archives of location history, face and voice recognition files, and iris scans. Artificial intelligence tools use this data to predict behavior and infer relationships between people, places, and objects (like vehicles).

We spent months researching databases and data-sharing. But contractors and technologies change all the time, and many government data systems are shrouded in secrecy. We do not claim that the databases listed here make up a complete list, nor is it possible to make that list. Rather, we hope that this tool hints at the tangled and complex web of data extraction and criminalization.

The fight against migrant exploitation, racist border securitization, and deportation is a fight against data criminalization. It is a fight for collective self-determination and data liberation. Read more in our full report.