Democracy & Civic Tech

The public deserves a clear explanation for the FBI’s unprecedented raid of Fulton County’s election offices. And we should all demand an end to the Trump administration’s campaign to interfere with elections. bit.ly/45KDIKw

Voters should call on their state governments to resist the Trump administration’s attempts to usurp states’ responsibility to run elections effectively and fairly. bit.ly/46tX4nd

“Free” surveillance is a trap. Vendor trials, private donors, and federal grants hand police no‑cost tools that quietly build massive databases on all of us and feed ICE and DHS pipelines. Cities can and should refuse the bait. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Congress failed to pass the SAVE Act last year for good reason: it’s an anti-voter bill. But now lawmakers have revived it despite overwhelming public opposition. Tell Congress to reject the SAVE Act: bit.ly/4tmVIor

Nadie está más seguro bajo un sistema de vigilancia constante que facilita el acceso policial sin supervisión clara. La seguridad comunitaria no debería exigir sacrificar nuestra privacidad básica. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

“We are in a great fight for the future of American democracy right now.” - podcast interview with @mawaldman.bsky.social

The president’s redefining of domestic terrorism threatens Americans’ free speech rights, from joining a protest march to posting on social media. It also aims to impose draconian punishments for actions that are far removed from actual terrorism. bit.ly/4qwExhh

The SAVE Act would be the most restrictive voting legislation ever passed by Congress. bit.ly/4qrNeJO

Leonard Leo is a lawyer, but he's never argued a case in court. He's never held elected office. But for years he rebuilt the American legal system, resulting in the Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority. (Published Oct. 2023)

Since the start of Trump’s second term, the number of children in ICE detention has increased sixfold. In their letters, kids held at the Dilley center told us about missing their friends, being unable to go to school and feeling trapped.

Filed: Brief to block Justice Department’s effort to get New Hampshire's voter files, on behalf of League of Women Voters New Hampshire and @aclu-nh.bsky.social. The data includes partial Social Security numbers. @aclu.org, @brennancenter.org, and @campaignlegal.org are counsel.

While Flock claims ALPR (Automated License Plate Reader) cameras keep neighborhoods safe, the evidence tells a different story. Join our livestream "Get the Flock Out of Our City" on 2/19 at 12pm PT to find out more! www.eff.org/livestream-...

“There is no good reason for withholding this report from the public,” said senior counsel @scottbwilkens.bsky.social. “The public has a right to the report under the First Amendment and common law, and the Freedom of Information Act requires its release as well.”

Earlier this week, we asked the court to reverse an order from Judge Cannon refusing to release the report, and to order its release. We also informed Judge Cannon that she lacks jurisdiction to take any action with respect to the report. Read more here: knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

We filed an emergency petition asking the Eleventh Circuit to request a stay to stop Judge Cannon from potentially granting motions by President Trump and his co-defendants seeking the permanent suppression & destruction of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report. knightcolumbia.org/documents/z8...

Just filed: @knightcolumbia.org mandamus petition—second one in this case—asking Eleventh Circuit to bar Judge Cannon from ordering the destruction of Jack Smith’s Mar-a-Lago report, as Trump’s co-defendants have asked her to do. knightcolumbia.org/documents/z8...

"Presidents cannot cancel the elections. The elections are in the law...states run elections. There are going to be elections. That’s that.....Trump is not canceling the elections. People should not worry about that." @simonwdc.bsky.social with Michael Waldman of the @brennancenter.org

The Constitution's supremacy clause bars local interference with federal officers when they act reasonably, within the scope of their duties. But when agents cross that line, experts said, there's an obligation to try to hold them accountable.

DHS doesn’t protect elections by attacking election administrators and promoting partisan legislation. It protects elections by ensuring officials have the tools they need to defend election infrastructure from real cyber threats.

If Secretary Noem wants to strengthen election security, as she claimed during today's press conference, the most effective step would be to restore the partnerships, cybersecurity funding, and information sharing that officials actually depend on.

These setbacks raise the sobering possibility that the United States may enter the 2026 midterms with weakened cyber defenses, strained federal — state partnerships, and a growing disadvantage against foreign adversaries.

Over the last year, budget cuts and policy reversals across the federal government — including at DHS — have weakened the nation’s ability to defend the cybersecurity of election infrastructure, counter foreign information operations, and share intelligence about emerging threats.

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security held a press conference on election security today that highlights the significant changes in the Agency's approach since 2024. I break down these changes and what they could mean for 2026 in my new analysis ⬇️ cdt.org/insights/cou...

Presidents’ Day seems like the right time to talk about presidential power and its limits. Episode 13 of @knightcolumbia.org's podcast "The Bully's Pulpit" examines what happens when the office itself becomes a threat to the First Amendment. 🔊 Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Now more than ever, people have seen the real-world risk of invasive face recognition technology. We won’t lose focus.

👋 EFF's team of activists, lawyers, and technologists regularly take on multiple threats to digital rights and privacy. We've noticed, we're not distracted, and we'll be fighting back.

To celebrate AZ's Statehood Day, DHS Sec'y Noem held a presser in PHX making false claims about the fed government's authority over state & local off'ls. To be clear, she doesn't have authority over elections in Maricopa County, the state of Arizona, or anywhere else in the USA.

Lawmakers renewed their push to pass the SAVE Act, which would block millions of Americans from voting. It failed before — and it must fail again. Tell Congress to stop this attack on the freedom to vote: bit.ly/4tmVIor

1. In an unusual press briefing today in AZ, Sec. Kristi Noem made the extraordinary (but vaguely delivered) claim that as head of DHS, she has authorities over elections, including to make sure that “the right people are voting and electing the right leaders to lead this country.” That is false.

The Trump administration stepped up its election interference plans by raiding Fulton County’s election offices. Here’s what you need to know: bit.ly/45KDIKw

Former Institute of Museum and Library Services leaders from both political parties expressed concern that the agency’s new grant guidelines could fund projects that encourage a more constrained or distorted view of American history.

President Trump is suing himself to try and get a $10 billion payout. You read that right. Learn more about the legal brief we filed calling out the blatant conflict of interest: https://www.commoncause.org/articles/seven-ways-to-stop-trumps-10-billion-irs-payout-to-himself/

The Trump admin. has expanded the use of domestic terrorism investigations against individuals or groups that oppose its policies - a “dangerous and unwarranted” expansion of executive power. New piece by @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social

A confidential document reveals both the Trump administration’s plans to interfere with the states’ authority to run elections and how dangerously insecure the sensitive data will be in the department’s hands. bit.ly/46tX4nd

Congress should once again reject the SAVE Act. Add your voice to help protect the freedom to vote: bit.ly/4tmVIor

Once taxpayer data is opened to immigration enforcement, mistakes are inevitable & the consequences fall on innocent people. The disclosure of thousands of confidential records unfortunately shows precisely why strict legal firewalls exist & have — until now — been treated as an important guardrail.

“Tom Bowman, policy counsel for CDT said that ‘the improper sharing of taxpayer data is unsafe, unlawful, and subject to serious criminal penalties.’”

11/ Read on for the full story of how a small, interconnected group of Trump administration lawyers from Missouri played a behind-the-scenes role in the raid in Georgia… www.propublica.org/article/thom...

2/ Thomas Albus, the federal prosecutor overseeing the GA ballot seizure, had several meetings set up with top admin. lawyers last fall to discuss election integrity — including 2 lawyers who'd tried to overturn Trump's 2020 loss, according to a source. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/u...

1/ SCOOP: The process that led to the FBI’s seizure of 2020 election materials from GA has been going on longer than previously known – with meetings among top Trump administration lawyers about election integrity dating back to at least last fall. www.propublica.org/article/thom...

The SAVE Act would block millions of American citizens from voting by effectively requiring a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. More than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents. Stay informed by subscribing to The Briefing, our weekly newsletter: bit.ly/3Yrz5jM

NEW: Ahead of the FBI’s raid of an election center in Georgia, the prosecutor overseeing the investigation met with several Trump lawyers, including Ed Martin and Kurt Olsen, who helped the president try to overturn the 2020 election.

The Trump administration has supercharged the use of domestic terrorism investigations to scare Americans away from using their First Amendment rights to oppose its policies. bit.ly/4qwExhh

@seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social explains in @nytopinion.nytimes.com why the threats to "nationalize" and "takeover" our elections must be taken seriously and how we all can protect our elections this year.

Dig into Syria’s changing landscape for access to information and freedom of expression with Professor Yazan Badran in our latest Speaking Freely interview, here: www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

The SAVE Act — which would stop millions of American citizens from voting — is Trump’s election power grab in legislative garb. bit.ly/4qrNeJO

"It's because free speech is so well fortified in the U.S. that it's been so dispiriting to watch the leaders of the most powerful American institutions wither and shrivel in response to Trump's threats." 🔊 Tune in to hear @jameeljaffer.bsky.social on CBC's Ideas program: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

NEW: A federal tool meant to find noncitizens on voter rolls is consistently marking citizens as noncitizens, especially if they were born outside the U.S., causing chaos as election clerks try not to disenfranchise voters, @zachdespart.bsky.social and I found. 🧵 www.propublica.org/article/save...

NEW: ProPublica and @texastribune.org found that DHS rushed a revamped tool to check voters’ citizenship into use while it was still adding data. As a result, the tool has made persistent mistakes, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.

When the Supreme Court allowed immigration agents to consider race during sweeps, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that citizens shouldn’t be concerned because agents will “promptly let the individual go.” For these Americans, that wasn’t true. (Published Oct. 2025)

📽️ WATCH: We went inside the immigrant family detention center in Dilley, Texas. Listen to what kids told reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social about their life in detention — and the things they’ve lost and left behind. Read more: https://propub.li/4toqME6

For 30 years, Section 230 has protected online speech—from Wikipedia edits to Yelp reviews. We spoke with Yelp's Chief Legal Officer Aaron Schur about why weakening it would hurt consumers first. www.eff.org/pages/inter...

“Why shouldn’t you be able to ask for your own plate data?” EFF’s @Maassive.bsky.social told @san.com, or "for data on the movements of city buses? If the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile is driving through town, is that really a big secret?” san.com/cc/arizona-...

Age verification is here, and it's reshaping the internet -- now it's hit Discord. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

“You starve your public schools to feed your private schools and charter schools,” said one superintendent about the state’s efforts to grow charter schools. “Our foundation was set up for a free and appropriate education for all kids. All kids!” (Published Oct. 2025)

Even giant tech companies are made up of individual employees who mostly want to do the right thing. Resisting lawless ICE subpoenas is an easy place to start. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

From Flock cameras to fusion centers, “free” surveillance equipment funded by tech vendors, federal grants, and private donors locks cities into recurring costs and long-term data‑sharing, including with ICE. The end result is an erosion of our civil liberties. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

COVID-19 had killed about 38 people, most of them Black, in Albany, Georgia, by April 2020. But when a white judge died, local officials made sure to announce her name. (Published Dec. 2025)

@kornbergmaya.bsky.social' s new book Stuck explores historic examples of Congress successfully fighting executive power grabs and offers solutions to get the institution back on track. @publisherswkly.bsky.social calls it an “encouraging guidebook for the upcoming midterms.” Learn more:

What's Certbot? It's EFF's free, open source tool for automatically using Let’s Encrypt certificates on millions of domains across the web. It's also part of a growing number of EFF tech projects designed to protect your freedom online. Help support this work today! supporters.eff.org/donate/cert...

Tax-funded surveillance systems have targeted people seeking abortions, protesters exercising First Amendment rights, and communities impacted by discriminatory policing. Find out how your community can push back at our stream on 2/19. RSVP today at www.eff.org/livestream-....

From the DOJ's attempts to access sensitive voter info to dismantling CISA and pardoning the people responsible for Jan. 6, the Trump administration's campaign to undermine elections is underway. But we can fight back. — @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social in @nytopinion.nytimes.com

The Justice Department is demanding full voter rolls from states — including private info like driver’s license numbers — and suing those that refuse. Former DOJ attorney Eileen O’Connor discusses election security on The Briefing with Michael Waldman: bit.ly/4kzj8mf

But there are solutions. Jake outlines concrete steps Congress, states, and individuals can take to push back, protect privacy, and safeguard democratic accountability. A must-read for anyone concerned about unchecked surveillance.

Jake Laperruque details how ICE exploits data broker loopholes, deploys risky facial recognition apps, and taps expansive license plate databases — all while targeting individuals who document or critique immigration enforcement. These practices threaten core constitutional rights.

In new Tech Policy Press piece, CDT’s Jake Laperruque breaks down how ICE is escalating surveillance against protesters & legal observers — from mass phone location tracking to facial recognition & license plate monitoring — & what’s at stake for civil liberties.

This week's The Kicker episode feat. @jameeljaffer.bsky.social and @davidenrich.bsky.social on #pressfreedom, whether this moment is unprecedented, what they’re most worried about, their advice to student journalists, and more. @columjournreview.bsky.social. WATCH ⬇️: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYid...

NEW: Most election cases in 2022 and 2024 were decided in state court. I previewed some of what the @statecourtreport.org team will be watching this election year -- and explain why Trump's call to nationalize elections is unconstitutional. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

The SAVE Act is part of the Trump administration’s agenda to sow distrust in elections, undermine election administration, and discourage Americans from making their voices heard. bit.ly/4rA2p4R

Yesterday we learned that the Department of Justice is monitoring and tracking members of Congress’s searches of the Epstein files. There’s no sugar coating it: the administration is spying on lawmakers as they exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities. 1/10

“The internet lets young people connect outside of the controlled spheres of their parents’ worldview — and that’s the danger that proponents of age verification are terrified of,” EFF’s @ericabp.bsky.social told @Salon.com. www.salon.com/2026/02/11/...

From the Department of Justice's attempts to access sensitive voter info to pardoning the people responsible for Jan. 6, the Trump administration's campaign to undermine elections is underway. But we can fight back. Read @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social in @nytopinion.nytimes.com: nyti.ms/4rLg4WD

The $305 million raised by the main super PAC supporting President Trump comes almost entirely from megadonors: 96% of its funds are from donors giving $1 million or more. bit.ly/4t8PBDU

Brennan Center's @kornbergmaya.bsky.social's new book Stuck explores historic examples of Congress successfully fighting executive power grabs and offers solutions to get the institution back on track. Publishers Weekly calls it an “encouraging guidebook for the upcoming midterms.” Learn more:

@seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social explains in @nytopinion.nytimes.com why the threats to "nationalize" and "takeover" our elections must be taken seriously and how we all can protect our elections this year.

Spoke with @davidenrich.bsky.social and @greenwell.bsky.social about current threats to press freedom and what ought to be done about them. Thanks to @columjournreview.bsky.social for hosting, and to all of the audience members who asked such great questions. www.cjr.org/kicker/the-l...

“Sovereignty” with @grohmannrafael.bsky.social: Why are tech execs wielding “digital sovereignty” as an argument for corporate control? Shouldn’t digital sovereignty mean that “we the people” get control over our digital destinies? ainowinstitute.org/publications...

@morelle.house.gov is leading efforts in the House to craft the Democrats’ agenda to fight corruption and strengthen democracy. RSVP to our free virtual event on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 3 p.m. ET to watch as Morelle discusses what it will take to renew our democratic values:

NEW: This week, SCR launched our Election 2026 hub, where we'll cover judicial elections, ballot measures, and state election litigation. As the president claims unprecedented powers, we aim to explain the broader legal landscape—including the relationship between state and federal election law.

@knightcolumbia.org's "Reconstructing Free Expression" initiative got a shout out in this round up. Check it out! Over the coming year, we will consider how our system of free expression could be strengthened against authoritarian attacks, under Trump and looking past the current democratic crisis.

President Trump's administration “has taken dozens of actions to undermine elections that, together, show that an attempted election ‘takeover’ may be underway,” Sean Morales-Doyle writes.

In today's @nytimes.com, I explain why we should take Trump's recent threat to "take over" elections seriously and how we can fight back against his attempts to undermine democracy.

The Save Act will make it harder for American citizens to vote. And House Republicans just passed it 218-213.

Giving the executive branch this much control over elections creates serious risks to free and fair elections. Congress is voting soon on this and we have to protect our right to vote. Tell your member of Congress NOW to reject these bills: represent.us/fairelections26

These bills also take election authority away from the states and raise concerns about federal interference with free and fair elections. They would require states to share citizenship data with DHS (which oversees ICE) and with the DOJ – or risk losing election funding.

The bills would impose new national photo ID requirements, including for people who vote by mail, and restrict widely used mail voting practices that millions rely on. They would ban innovative voting systems like RCV, and increase the risk eligible voters are wrongly removed from voter rolls.

Commonly used IDs would be insufficient on their own – including REAL IDs, driver’s licenses, military IDs, and most Tribal IDs. The bills would create new barriers for people who’ve changed their name–including millions of married women whose birth certificates don’t match their current legal name.

If either bill becomes law, millions of eligible Americans could lose their ability to vote. These bills would require Americans to show proof of U.S. citizenship – like a passport or original birth certificate – just to register to vote. More than 150 million Americans don’t have a passport.

Last year, lawmakers tried and failed to pass the dangerous SAVE Act, a bill that would have disenfranchised millions of American voters. Now they’re back trying to interfere with our elections with two new bills: the SAVE America Act and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act.

The record-breaking sum raised by the main super PAC supporting President Trump — and the benefits available to its donors — are just another example of why it’s time for reforms like full disclosure of donations, spending limits, and public campaign financing. bit.ly/4t8PBDU

Criticize the government online? DHS might demand Google hand over your info. Our latest EFFector breaks down Homeland Security's unlawful subpoenas targeting critics—plus our campaign for end-to-end encryption and a bill to stop government face scans. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

The administration has weaponized the Department of Justice, which now poses a direct threat to the 2026 midterms. Former DOJ officials at the Brennan Center join The Briefing with Michael Waldman to discuss how we can protect our elections. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

EPIC joined @eff.org and more than 30 other organizations this week in urging California to revoke any permits allowing federal agencies such as U.S. Border Patrol to place and operate covert automatic license plate readers along state border highways.

CDT applauds advancement of New York product life bill. With technology innovating rapidly, consumers need to know how long the manufacturer will support the product they are purchasing, so they know they can get full value from it.

David Farber understood, more than many, how the government could help or hinder civil liberties in the digital world. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

The United States can learn from other countries that have faced challenges to their democracies. Here’s how:

Politicians are trying to take away your rights again -- this time with the anti-voter SAVE Act. Wondering what that'll mean for you? 🤔 👉Take our quiz to find out! https://www.commoncause.org/resources/take-the-quiz-is-your-vote-safe/

The SAVE Act would require American citizens to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Our research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents. bit.ly/4rA2p4R

California must revoke permits allowing federal agencies such as CBP and the DEA to put automated license plate readers along border highways. www.eff.org/press/relea...

The administration has weaponized the Department of Justice, which now poses a direct threat to the 2026 midterms. Former DOJ officials at the Brennan Center join The Briefing with Michael Waldman to discuss how we can protect our elections.