Was Live Friday, September 05, 2025 | 11am PST
Related Coverage
- Immigrant Data-Sharing Threatens Privacy of All Americans
- YouTube Playlist: Expanding Surveillance of Immigrants
Guest Speakers
- Nicole Alvarez, Senior Policy Analyst for Technology Policy at the Center for American Progress
- Emerald Tse, Associate at Georgetown’s Center on Privacy & Technology
- Sophia Cope, Senior Staff Attorney on the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Event Overview
The U.S. government has steadily expanded its use of surveillance tools, often under the banner of fighting fraud, stopping crime, or detecting undocumented immigrants. But those same tools, from DMV database access and facial recognition to cellphone tracking and data broker contracts, are now building a vast infrastructure that reaches far beyond immigration enforcement.
This digital dragnet has the potential to place every American under unprecedented scrutiny. By compiling and cross-linking personal information, the state increases the risk of political targeting, identity theft, and massive data breaches. What starts as surveillance of immigrants can quickly become surveillance of all, eroding the privacy rights of every resident.
Our panelists will examine these developments, highlight the most recent trends under the Trump administration, and ask what safeguards are needed to protect democracy and civil liberties.
Presented by ACoM
Cover Image Credit: Canva Photos