Target: Nancy Mace, Chair of United States House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation
Goal: Stop sharing of Americans’ private data for purpose of predictive profiling.
Tax records, employment records, healthcare records, utility bills, loan applications, social media posts, and even supermarket receipts: the aforementioned represents just a portion of the personal data the federal government is reportedly compiling for a massive surveillance system. They are partnering with data brokers and with unofficial minions such as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to obtain this information for so-called “inter-agency” operations. The National Labor Relations Board recently had its alleged disclosure of sensitive data outed by a whistleblower. Executive orders signed by the president have only accelerated and further enabled this trend.
What is one of the driving forces behind this broad-scale invasion of privacy? Increasingly, agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security are leveraging personal data – and the growing impact of artificial intelligence – to engage in predictive profiling. Under this theory of practice, criminals can be identified before they commit a crime by assessing factors ranging from their eye and skin color to their choices of clothing. The implications of such techniques are dangerous, especially for communities of color that are often disproportionately misidentified as “threats.”
No meaningful regulation or oversight exists for these surveillance and profiling systems. Sign the petition below to demand Congress close the loophole before innocent Americans fall into it.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Mace,
Immigration enforcement advocates have touted the use of predictive profiling, but this high-tech form of profiling – in which personal traits and personal data are used to preemptively “identify” criminals – comes with serious ethical questions and risks. For one, even the pioneers of this technology have warned of the potential for misidentification, especially in relation to people of color. Further, AI systems on which the technology heavily relies are notoriously vulnerable to misleading or outright false outcomes. And perhaps most consequentially, the massive compilation of Americans’ sensitive data reportedly taking place at a rapidly increasing pace is an affront to everyone’s freedom. The fallout of the Patriot Act should have served as a cautionary tale about the dangers of widespread government surveillance.
As federal agencies and officials continue to open the floodgates for more data compilation while ignoring regulatory duties, it must fall on Congress to enact the guardrails essential for protecting Americans and their privacy. Please act with urgency.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sora Shimazak
