News Summary

• The Department of Homeland Security is expanding its capacity to scan irises.
• The agency awarded a $25 million no-bid contract to BI2 Technologies, a company that specializes in iris scanning.
• The move has raised concerns among privacy experts that the agency is gathering biometric data from people it detains.
• Irises contain intricate patterns that are unique to each person, similar to a fingerprint.
• The new contract is more than five times the amount of the company's last DHS contract, awarded last fall.