Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
“ICE access to utility data could lead to a housing crisis” blog
Associate Nina Wang published a blog about how ICE's access to utility data could lead to a housing crisis, among other devastating effects. Read the whole blog here.
“Who is entitled to power and water in America?” blog
Associate Nina Wang published a blog detailing how immigration policy across the country denies many access to basic utilities. Read the whole blog here.
Biden Administration Announces Termination of Agreement Following the Center’s Letter
Following a letter coordinated by the Center and co-signed by 111 other NGOs in 2019, the Biden administration announced the termination of an April 2018 interagency agreement that used immigrant children's information to find and deport their relatives. The Center also drafted and filed public comments signed by thirteen other organizations explaining that deporting families using information collected to reunite immigrant children was "chilling families from coming forward to claim their children."
Testimony to the Maryland State Legislature
Director of Research & Advocacy Emily Tucker submitted testimony to the Maryland state legislature on the Center's behalf in support of the Maryland Trust Act. The Trust Act would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies in Maryland from participating in the detention and deportation of immigrants. The Center's testimony focused on the ways that expansive surveillance by immigration authorities makes state level intervention to protect immigrant communities more urgent than ever before.
Founding Director Speaks at Harvard Law National Security Journal’s Symposium
Founding Director Alvaro Bedoya spoke about dragnet surveillance of immigrants at the "Racial and Intersectional Critiques of National Security Law" symposium hosted by the Harvard Law National Security Journal and Lieber Institute at West Point.
“Is your utility company telling ICE where you live?” blog
Associate Nina Wang published a blog detailing how ICE is getting access to utilities data from customers all across the nation. Read the whole blog here.
Center Research Supports NYTimes Exposé on Immigrant Surveillance
Investigative reporter McKenzie Funk published an exposé in The New York Times, "How ICE Picks Its Targets in the Surveillance Age." Funk's article cited the Center's research on ICE requests for face recognition searches of state DMV databases.
Senior Associate Testifies at a Utah Legislature Hearing
Senior Associate Harrison Rudolph testified against Utah's use of facial recognition searches of Utah driver's licenses for federal immigration enforcement.
DMV Searches by ICE Earn Criticism and Calls for Investigation in Utah
After The Washington Post reported the Center's research on ICE's FR searches on DMV databases in Utah and Washington, Utah Lt. Gov. Cox expressed concern and said the they would be investigating ICE's access. The Center's findings left lawmakers and civil society groups in Utah outraged.
“ICE Searches of State Driver’s License Databases” blog
Senior Associate Harrison Rudolph published a blog covering the research the Privacy Center has been doing on ICE's use of face recognition tech. Read the whole blog here.