End Government Surveillance
End unwarranted government surveillance over communications networks.
The United States has long spied on activists and communities of color. In the 1960s, the infamous COINTELPRO program targeted and infiltrated civil-rights groups, among other organizations.
Today, the Department of Homeland Security program on “Countering Violent Extremism” targets Muslim populations with unwarranted surveillance, and the FBI’s invented “Black Identity Extremists” classification targets Black activists fighting for racial justice. Local law enforcement and federal government agencies abuse technological tools to spy on people, silence dissenting voices and criminalize people of color. We need strong laws to prevent these abuses and to protect those most often targeted by dangerous government surveillance.
Starting points:
Support efforts to end mass surveillance, as well as so-called targeted surveillance that disproportionately harms activists and communities of color.
Support the HASHTAGS Act to prohibit social-media monitoring by law enforcement agencies operating without strong guidelines and proper oversight to protect First and Fourth Amendment rights.
Oppose dangerous data-sharing agreements with ICE that target immigrants at the border and threaten their families within the United States.
Appoint DoJ and intelligence-agency officials who are committed to transparency and to ending mass spying and surveillance programs.