U.S. NEWSLETTER

Responding to DOGE's Threats to Americans' Privacy and Security

Over the past few weeks, CDT has been monitoring and responding to the flurry of new policies that impact the way technology and data are affecting the lives of ordinary people — and, in too many cases, undermining their privacy, security, and fundamental rights.

In particular, CDT has been focused on how numerous moves by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel threaten Americans’ personal data, including through use of AI, and explored the serious concerns that resulting lawsuits raise about whether the Trump Administration is violating critical, long-standing legal privacy protections. CDT’s Civic Technology team has spent years developing deep expertise in what has suddenly become a high-profile issue, and our work has been covered by the Associated Press, NBC, ABC, the Washington Post, and Axios.

CDT also vocally objected to President Trump’s Executive Order “reining in” independent government agencies, pointing out that it would subject those agencies to the whims of those in power and lead to government corruption — which is precisely why statutes exist carefully insulating them from political pressure. We joined dozens of civil rights and civil liberties organizations in pushing back on the unprecedented Executive Order, which places independent agencies under direct presidential control, and calling out President Trump’s firing of multiple Democratic-appointed Commissioners at independent agencies.

In Case You Missed It

Logo of the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC). Black text on a white background, with multi-colored squares (dark orange, dark yellow, dark blue, and light blue / green) forming a + symbol.

— CDT Europe described how gutting the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) will affect data transfers between the EU and U.S., which have historically been threatened by overbroad U.S. surveillance practices.

— CDT led civil society partners in urging the Senate to make needed changes to the TAKE IT DOWN Act to both help victims of the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate imagery (NDII) and protect users’ privacy and free expression rights.

— CDT and other members of the Global Encryption Coalition called on the UK to rescind its demand that Apple create a backdoor into its end-to-end encrypted services, which if carried out would endanger the privacy and security of hundreds of millions of individuals who use Apple products across the globe.

— We urged the Senate Commerce Committee not to advance the “Kids Off Social Media” Act of 2025 (“KOSMA”) without significant changes. The bill would prohibit children under the age of 13 from accessing certain social media services, and likely increase surveillance in schools.

— CDT welcomed a new class of members to our Advisory Council.

CDT In the Press

Screenshot of CDT's Elizabeth Laird, a woman with brown hair wearing a brown shirt, appearing in an ABC News Interview.

— CDT’s Elizabeth Laird appeared on ABC to discuss the impact of DOGE accessing IRS databases.

— CDT CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens discussed the Paris AI Summit with the Washington Post.

— CDT’s Alexandra Reeve Givens also wrote for Just Security, explaining that the Munich Security Conference provides companies with an opportunity to improve on their AI and Elections Accord and recommit to protecting democracy from AI abuses.

— CDT’s Greg Nojeim was quoted by NextGov about the Director of National Intelligence’s concerns with the UK’s demands on Apple: “Unlike the DOJ, which knew about the impending order to Apple to build a backdoor to its encrypted cloud back-ups and hid the fact from Congress, the DNI has done the right thing by taking this stance,” he said. “Building a backdoor to encrypted content undermines security for all of us.”

— CDT’s Kate Ruane wrote for Fast Company about the multiple actions the Trump Administration has taken to censor or chill speech it dislikes online and off.

Event graphic for CDT's 2025 Spring Fling, in bright blue and purple block text. Illustration of two tulips, yellow and purple, on top of a watercolor background.

CDT "In-Person"

— CDT is pleased to announce our third annual Spring Fling, a celebration that will take place during IAPP’s Global Privacy Summit. Join us on Tuesday, April 22, from 8–10:30 PM at Dirty Habit in Washington, D.C. — you won’t want to miss it!

— Check out the latest episode of CDT’s podcast, Tech Talk. This episode features Mona Elswah, CDT Fellow for the Content Moderation in the Global South Project, and Emna Mizouni, Tunisian digital rights advocate, for a discussion on moderating Maghrebi Arabic content on social media.

Mona Elswah, wearing a dark red headscarf and a black jacket while smiling.

Staff Spotlight
Mona Elswah, Project Fellow, Content Moderation for Languages in the Global South

How long have you been working in digital rights? About 7 years. I first became interested in the field during my PhD research on online activism in Syria and Tunisia. My passion grew stronger when I began focusing on Arabic content moderation and eventually joined CDT to explore content moderation across the Global South.

What is your proudest moment while here at CDT? My proudest moment at CDT has been the opportunity to speak exclusively with Arabic content moderators. Our CDT report on Maghrebi Arabic content moderation is the first to thoroughly explore this topic and the first to engage directly with content moderators in the region.

What is your fandom? Coffee and anything related to it.

What is the best book you've read recently? "Custodians of the Internet: Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions that Shape Social Media" by Tarleton Gillespie. I found it to be one of the best at explaining the concept of content moderation and why it is such a challenging subject.

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