Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Principles to Guide COVID Response Tech
The Center joined over 80 other organizations in calling for information technologies deployed to combat the spread of COVID-19 to preserve civil rights and privacy.
Coalition Letter for State Worker Protections
The Center coordinated a letter with 9 other organizations urging state governors to issue policies protecting essential workers during the pandemic and to petition OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard to that end. Photo by Clark Van Der Beken on Unsplash.
Letter to the Union Federation of Teachers on Face Recognition Use
The Center joined 29 other organizations in signing a letter to the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) urging it to cancel any existing contracts for face surveillance. In response to the letter, UFT committed to opposing face recognition use in NYC schools.
Federal Law Pauses Parent Trap
A federal law was signed prohibiting the use of children's information for deportation purposes until September 30, as part of the 2019 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. The law followed a November 2018 letter, coordinated by the Center and co-signed by 111 other NGOs, calling for the termination of an interagency agreement that used children's information to find and deport their relatives.
Coalition Letter on Federal Privacy Conversations Calls for Centrality of Civil Rights
The Center joined 42 other digital rights and civil rights organizations calling for Congress to prioritize civil rights debates, hearings, and legislation.
Coalition Letter to DHS and HHS About Both Agencies’ Parent Trap
The Center coordinated a letter to the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security calling for the rescission of an interagency agreement that uses children's information to deport their relatives. 111 other civil rights and civil liberties organizations signed on to the letter, which received coverage in the Associated Press.
Coalition Comments to DHS & HHS on Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
The Center drafted, organized, and filed comments, signed by thirteen other organizations, regarding the administration's use of children's information to deport their relatives. The comments explain that deporting families using information collected to place unaccompanied children is not only inhumane, but also unlawful and poor policy.
Public Interest Privacy Legislation Principles Signed by 34 Organizations
The Center co-drafted principles outlining essential components to be included in comprehensive privacy legislation. The principles were backed by 34 organizations.
Extreme Vetting Software Abandoned by ICE
After months of advocacy coordinated by the Center and others in the Immigrant Surveillance Working Group, the Department of Homeland Security formally dropped its "Extreme Vetting Initiative." It would have automatically and continuously scanned American immigrants' social media posts to flag 10,000 individuals annually for deportation investigations.
National and Local Civil Rights Groups Urge Strong Ethical Review of Axon’s Police Technology
Following the launch of a new "artificial intelligence ethics board" at Axon, a major U.S. police technology vendor, the Privacy Center joined 41 other civil rights, racial justice, and community organizations in a letter with recommendations for how the board can uphold its ethical responsibilities when reviewing the company's products. Read the full press release.