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 quoted in Fedscoop article about government contracts and surveillance
Executive Director Emily Tucker was interviewed for and quoted in a Fedscoop article, "ICE seeks proprietary data and tech to monitor up to a million people." The article looked at government contract 'request for information' about technology that could monitor up to a million people. Tucker said, “We know that comprehensive surveillance of the U.S. population is a goal of this administration and the scope of this RFI reflects that ambition. The language emphasizing the government’s interest in ‘proprietary data’ for a wide range of policing activities is especially concerning from the perspective of civil and human rights.”
Privacy Center quoted in The Hoya article about FOIA lawsuit
Associate Emerald Tse was quoted in a The Hoya (Georgetown University's student newspaper) article about the Center on Privacy & Technology, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, and Americans for Immigrant Justice's lawsuit against the DHS. “The vast majority of people who come into contact with immigration enforcement are those from communities of color, so people of color are the most likely to have their DNA taken under DHS’s program. The expansion of DNA collection will undoubtedly deepen those disparities," said Tse. Executive Director Emily Tucker was also quoted.
Privacy Center quoted in Truthout article about Trump’s expansion of the surveillance state
Associate Emerald Tse was quoted in a Truthout article, "Trump Is Rapidly Expanding the Surveillance State as Protests Grow" about Trump's expansion of the surveillance state. "You are seeing that federal agents working under this current administration are very openly using surveillance technologies to trump our free speech, to completely violate our privacy, and not even giving personal privacy consideration anymore," Tse said.
Privacy Center signs on to letter opposing HR 1 AI proposal
The Privacy Center signed on to a letter opposing the proposal in H.R. 1 that includes a 10-year ban on the enforcement of state and local law related to artificial intelligence (AI) The letter was drafted by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The letter was signed by 59 civil rights and civil society organizations. The moratorium advocacy worked– the provision was removed from the final bill.
“Migrant Data Extractivism” paper submitted
Postdoctoral Fritz Fellow Marianna Poyares submitted an expert contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in response to their call for information on the topic of externalization of migration and its impacts on the human rights of migrants. The paper was published in July 2025 in the UN's International Organization for Migration academic journal.
Privacy Center quoted in Bloomberg article about ICE’s DNA collection program
Associate Emerald Tse was quoted in a Bloomberg article about ICE's DNA collection program. “The mass collection of this data leaves it open for abuse. They really shouldn’t be keeping those DNA samples in perpetuity," Tse said. The Center on Privacy & Technology's 2024 report, "Raiding the Genome," was also cited in the article. Bloomberg republished the article in Spanish.
Privacy Center quoted in El País article about FOIA lawsuit
Director of Research and Advocacy Stevie Glaberson was quoted in an El País article about the recent lawsuit the Center on Privacy & Technology, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, and Americans for Immigrant Justice jointly filed against the Department of Homeland Security after trying to get records about DHS' DNA collection program. "The public needs to know now more than ever what the government is doing. There really is no protection. The way DNA is collected is unconstitutional and violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects against search and seizure," said Glaberson. The Center on Privacy & Technology's 2024 report, "Raiding the Genome," was also cited in the article. The article was also published in Spanish.
Privacy Center quoted in Law&Crime article about FOIA lawsuit
Associate Emerald Tse was quoted in a Law&Crime article about the recent lawsuit the Center on Privacy & Technology, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, and Americans for Immigrant Justice jointly filed against the Department of Homeland Security after trying to get records about DHS' DNA collection program. "We are demanding that DHS disclose agency policies on who they collect DNA from, how to collect samples, and where the samples are being stored. The public has the right to know how taxpayer dollars are being used in government operations, especially those that concern the privacy of our genetic material, and this lawsuit is about vindicating that right," Tse said. Director of Research and Advocacy Stevie Glaberson was also quoted: "Americans deserve visibility on the details of this program, and the department’s lack of transparency is unacceptable."
Privacy Center quoted in The Washington Informer article about FOIA lawsuit
Executive Director Emily Tucker was quoted in a The Washington Informer article about the Center on Privacy & Technology, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, and Americans for Immigrant Justice's lawsuit against the DHS. "To the contrary, Trump is using immigration powers as the vehicle for the activities of a militarized police force, a weapon he can wield broadly and violently without having to navigate obstacles in the form of transparency, accountability, or oversight," said Tucker. Director of Research and Advocacy Stevie Glaberson was also quoted.