Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Privacy Center presented at the Conference on Racial and Social Justice
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh and Justice Fellow Brandon McClain presented two sessions about the Cop Out curriculum and background information on criminal and school surveillance policies to groups of educators at the Conference on Racial and Social Justice hosted by the National Education Association in Portland, Oregon. Participants engaged with summaries of previous research done with Cop Out, Pasco County school surveillance practices and historical case studies of how surveillance has been used to marginalize communities of color. Also, participants provided feedback on the current draft of the Cop Out curriculum. Overall, the curriculum was well received and participants pushed for the curriculum to go beyond being presented to schools, but shared more broadly with families and communities.
Privacy Center at 2025 Race Matters Seminar
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh taught at the 2025 Race Matters Seminar hosted by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Tulsa, OK. Okoh taught a program titled "Watched Youth: Challenging Surveillane Technology that Criminalize Youth and Young Adults."
Privacy Center quoted in Word In Black piece about school policing
Privacy Center Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in a Word In Black article titled “The Truth About School Policing.” “The consequences of policing, whether through surveillance or physical presence, yield the same outcomes. Students still face contact with the criminal legal system — it just may happen through a screen now instead of in the hallway,” said Okoh.
Privacy Center quoted in Word In Black piece about youth surveillance
Privacy Center Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in a Word In Black article titled “Black Students Are Being Watched Under AI — and They Know It.” “The most insidious aspect of youth surveillance in schools is how it deepens and expands the presence of law enforcement in ways that were previously impossible,” said Okoh.
Privacy Center proposal granted funding by the National Endowment of Humanities
The Center on Privacy & Technology received notification of funding granted for our proposal "Algorithmic Technology and Knowledge Divestment in American Education" from the National Endowment of Humanities. This is part of the "Dangers and Opportunities of Technology" program and the project is about the implications of edtech for education in the United States.
Privacy Center quoted in EdSurge article about AI in schools
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in an EdSurge article, "States Agree About How Schools Should Use AI. Are They Also Ignoring Civil Rights?" by Daniell Mollenkamp about state policies concerning AI in education. "The rise of AI surveillance in public education is one of the most urgent civil and human rights challenges confronting public schools today. Unfortunately, state AI guidance largely ignores this crisis because [states] have been [too] distracted by shiny baubles, like AI chatbots, to notice the rise of mass surveillance and digital authoritarianism in their schools," Okoh said.
Privacy Center collaboration with the NOTICE Coalition and Macalester College
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh collaborated with the NOTICE Coalition on a project with students at Macalester College in Minnesota that examined the landscape of state-level guidance on AI in public education to see if it specifically addressed digital pushout, algorithmic discrimination, or police surveillance in schools.
“The Impact of AI on Students, Education, and Privacy” Black History Month event hosted by Honey Brown Hope Foundation
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh spoke at Black History Event titled "The Impact of AI on Students, Education, and Privacy" focused on technology and racial justice at the Houston Community College and hosted by the Honey Brown Hope Foundation and the NOTICE Coalition's No Data About Us Without Us Fellowship Program.
Privacy Center quoted in Lever article about the mass surveillance of youth
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in a media article by the Lever "Rage Against the Algorithm." Okoh was quoted describing the dystopian realities of mass surveillance of youth and their communities.
“ICE and Educators” event hosted by Shift Press
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh provided a tech and surveillance training for educators and young adults on "ICE and Educators" hosted by Shift Press--a Texas-based movement journalism and youth civic engagement organization. Clarence's presentation emphasized how to protect immigrant youth and families from school surveillance.