"get a warrant!"
EFF is focused on preventing illegal data sharing within the government.
When you give the government your data, that information should be protected from anyone who doesn’t have a valid reason to get it.
DOGE and others in the administration want to build a giant database of records by haphazardly combining info the government collected for one purpose, like paying taxes, and use it for another purpose, like targeting immigrants.
Whether it’s info about your favorite style of shoe from a data broker, or your personal tax records from the IRS, EFF is challenging illegal information sharing, and suing DOGE for stealing government employees’ personnel data.
What EFF is doing
Suing DOGE for Ravaging Government Employees’ Rights
EFF is fighting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in court for stealing the private information of millions of Americans stored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This ransacking of Americans’ sensitive data is unheard of at this scale. We’re representing the current and former federal employees whose privacy was violated by the government.
Defending Immigrants’ Data from ICE
When the IRS shared taxpayer information and the Health and Human Services Department shared Medicaid data with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement, EFF filed briefs opposing these illegal data consolidations. We’ve pushed back on the U.S. Postal Service’s data sharing, too.
Restoring Privacy for Reproductive Justice
EFF fights for end-to-end encrypted communication because your private conversations should stay private, and your messages and DMs shouldn’t become subpoenaed evidence. To keep sensitive health information out of the hands of states hunting people who provide or receive reproductive care, we’ve also pushed for medical data privacy laws in New York and California, and urged strict regulation of shadowy brokers that buy and sell your location data.
What you can do
Learn How to Protect Yourself
Knowledge is power. EFF offers guides for travelers, protestors, and border journalists on how to protect themselves against intrusive government searches and how to use encrypted communications EFF also provides guidance around how to recognize surveillance technology in your community and at the border.
Be LOUD, Be HEARD
Tell your local, state, and federal elected officials you won’t abide the abuse of anyone’s constitutional rights, whether they’re undocumented immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, doctors, students, or anyone else. If law enforcement wants data, they need warrants. Check out our Action Center, and sign up for EFF email updates for the latest on campaigns to protect your data.