Trump administration pays Peter Thiel-backed startup hundreds of millions of dollars to build a virtual border wall

• Silicon Valley military contracting startup Anduril has been awarded a contract with US Customs and Border Protection to build a "virtual" wall as a means to monitor crossings in the US.
• As first reported by the Washington Post, the system will use surveillance towers to detect movement and artificial intelligence to distinguish between humans and other objects, like animals.
• A price was not disclosed, but Anduril execs told the Post that the deal was worth several hundred million dollars.
• The news comes as Anduril recently raised $200 million in funding, bringing its valuation to $1.9 billion.
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The Trump administration is teaming up with Oculus founder Palmer Luckey's military contracting firm Anduril Technologies to build a virtual border wall for monitoring illegal passage into the US.

As first reported by The Washington Post, the "wall" will use cameras, thermal imaging, and a network of 200 solar-powered surveillance towers to detect signs of movement in remote and rural locations, and artificial intelligence will be able to distinguish humans from animals and other objects. The system won't use facial recognition.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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SEE ALSO: Palmer Luckey's military contracting startup Anduril is now worth $1.9 billion