CDT strongly opposed the Trump Administration’s decision to collect social media handles for individuals applying for immigration benefits, laying out in detail how this decision will undermine free expression protections provided by the First Amendment. As we’ve already seen, this kind of surveillance not only enables the Administration to engage in viewpoint-based enforcement — such as revocation of student visas for protected speech — but also has a profound chilling effect even on those who aren’t directly targeted.
Along with civil society partners, CDT defended freedom of the press and advocated for journalist protections in the aftermath of a March 14 Executive Order targeting the U.S. Agency for Global Media, emphasizing the agency’s critical role in the dissemination of news and preservation of democracy worldwide. We also stood up for editorial discretion, calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to end its unconstitutional jawboning of CBS and reverse its increasingly politicized agenda.
In response to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) request for comment on technology platform censorship, CDT and our allies at the Electronic Frontier Foundation explained how content moderation can enhance users' speech and experiences online. CDT cautioned against FTC enforcement actions that preference particular perspectives, suggesting that the commission instead use its authority to foster competition in the social media market and the digital marketplace of ideas.
Meanwhile, CDT has raised the alarm about sweeping changes that are undermining long-held checks on the government’s surveillance powers. This includes the Trump Administration's illegal firing of members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), as well as its firings of many independent watchdogs and privacy and civil liberties officers throughout the federal government. From the moment the PCLOB news broke, CDT experts spoke out, highlighting PCLOB’s vital role. We were gratified when a federal judge confirmed those firings were indeed illegal.
CDT has also been speaking out about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s unprecedented access to government information, emphasizing the relevant laws and cybersecurity and privacy risks for reporters and Congressional offices alike. We’ve advised members of Congress looking to strengthen the Privacy Act, joined hundreds of organizations urging Congress to protect taxpayer privacy, and called on the private companies that process SNAP benefits to resist unlawful requests for their customers’ data from the federal government.
