S.T.O.P. Condemns Trump Database Tracking U.S. Citizens

Under development by DOGE and DHS, the database is unprecedented in how it centralizes U.S. born and naturalized citizens’ biographical information.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Trump Database Tracking U.S. Citizens (New York, NY 6/30/2025) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the Trump administration’s development of a searchable database to track U.S. citizens, ostensibly to prevent the highly rare issue of voter fraud. Under development by DOGE and DHS, the database is unprecedented in how it centralizes U.S. born and naturalized citizens’ biographical information and where they live, drawing from information from the Social Security Administration and immigration databases. S.T.O.P. warned the database is an attack on democracy and vast expansion of the surveillance state. SEE: Gizmodo - Trump Admin Is Building a Searchable Database to Track Citizens https://gizmodo.com/trump-admin-is-building-a-searchable-database-to-track-citizens-2000622110 “Trump’s database has nothing to do with protecting elections, but has everything to do with undermining our democracy,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen.  “This will give the Trump administration another tool to cry foul where voter fraud hasn’t occurred, let alone spy on Americans in their everyday lives. It’s also highly unlikely much of the data will be accurate, fueling the fire of false voter fraud accusations. Beyond manipulating elections, it’s terrifying to think what Trump, DOGE, and DHS can do with all of this information in one place, with no restrictions on its use.” Last month, the civil rights group spoke with The Washington Post and warned against DOGE’s plan to pool federal data, including from the Social Security Administration, into a centralized system. SEE: The Washington Post - DOGE aims to pool federal data, putting personal information at risk https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/doge-government-data-immigration-social-security/ The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   -- END -- Copyright © 2025 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.