Civil Liberties Advocates say Trump administration’s data collection and sharing puts American constitutional rights at risk
Risky privacy as Trump expands surveillance. This is what we know.
The Trump administration is expanding government surveillance with the help of Big Tech. Here’s what we know now about what is being tracked:
Denver – – For decades, the government has been able to see where you drive and where you walk. You can know where you shop, what you buy, and who you will spend time with.
It knows the money you have, where you worked, and often the medical procedures you had. You can know whether you attended the protest or purchased marijuana, and even read the email if you wish.
However, all of these data points about you were scattered across dozens of federal, state and commercial databases, making it not easy for governments to easily build an inclusive profile of your life.
It’s changing – fast.
With the help of Big Tech, in just a few months, the Trump administration has expanded its government surveillance status to a whole new level in order to prevent the president and his allies from hanging out illegal immigrants and chasing domestic terrorists while shaking federal spending and foreigners from voting.
And in doing so, privacy experts warn that the federal government is inevitably scooping up, sorting, combining and storing data on millions of law-abiding Americans. The vast data reservoir, some of which aim to access from Elon Musk’s Doge team, raises serious privacy concerns and threats of cybersecurity violations.
“What keeps the Trump administration’s approach so calm is that they are trying to collect and use data across federal agencies in an unprecedented way,” said Cody Wenke, senior policy advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union. “The federal government data collection has always been a double-edged sword.”
Americans value their privacy
Americans have always been concerned about their privacy vigorously, even from the earliest times of the country. The fourth amendment to the Constitution limits the ability of governments to invade privacy, particularly those.
These concerns are growing as more and more government functions are being implemented online.
A 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 71% of Americans were worried about the use of government data from 64% in 2019. The survey found that the biggest concern among people who vote for or consistently vote for Republicans, ranging from 63% to 77%. The level of concern among those who leaned or voted consistently remained stable at 65%, according to a survey found.
That same study found that Americans as a whole are concerned about access to government data just as social media companies have access to. While those attending university were more concerned about data privacy, people with high school degrees were generally “confident that those with access to personal information would do the right thing.”
In recognition of these concerns, the federal government carefully stores most of the data on Americans in separate databases, from Social Security payments to Medicare rebates, housing vouchers and food stamps. This limits the ability of government workers to secretly build an inclusive profile of Americans without court oversight.
But in the name of eradicating fraud and government inefficiency, President Donald Trump in March put federal agencies under control to lower the walls between data warehouses.
The government’s accounting office estimates that the federal government will cut $233 billion to $521 billion to fraud each year. Many estimate that many are reported, according to inappropriate payments to contractors or counterfeit medical expenses. The report also pointed to significant losses from Medicare or unemployment fraud and stimulus packages in the pandemic era.
“Decades of limited access to data within and between agencies have resulted in no overlapping efforts, resulting in undetected overpayments and billions of dollars for taxpayers,” President Donald Trump said in an executive order on March 20th that helped create the new system. “This executive order will dismantle unnecessary barriers, promote inter-ministerial cooperation, and ensure that the federal government operates responsibly and efficiently to protect public funds.”
Combining commercial and government databases
Supporters say this type of data archive, especially video surveillance combined with AI-powered facial recognition, is also a powerful tool for fighting crime. Authorities in New Orleans used video footage collected by privately owned security cameras to help capture at least one man who recently escaped prison.
The license plate reading system helped track suspects accused of repeatedly destroying Tesla dealers. White House officials are currently prosecuting Tesla vandalism cases as terrorist attacks.
But the new White House efforts go far beyond what has been tried in the US so far, allowing governments to combine government and commercial databases to intrusively monitor almost anyone.
Privacy experts say that the most important concern is the merger of government and commercial databases, as much of it can be done without court oversight.
As part of a broader White House effort, contractors are currently building a $30 million system to track suspicious gang members and undocumented immigrants, and purchasing access to a system that tracks passengers on almost every US-based plane flight.
Federal authorities also plan to edit and share state-level voting registration information. This argues that it is necessary for foreigners to prevent illegal voting in federal elections.
Privacy experts say that all of that data has been collected for a long time and separated by various government agencies and private vendors, but like frequent supermarket shopper cards and mobile phone providers, the Trump administration has dramatically expanded its compilation to comprehensive American related documents. Much of the work was started by Elon Musk’s Doge team, with the support of billionaire Peter Thiel’s Denver-based Palantier.
Critics say such a system could be violated by law enforcement to track women crossing state lines for abortions that Texas police officers have been accused of doing, or to target romantic partners of political critics and stalkers. And if hackers access it in any way, the centralized system will prove a mountain of information to commit fraud and scary emails.
Nonpartisan nonprofit projects on government surveillance have warned over the years of increased federal surveillance, noting that both Democrats and Republicans have voted to expand such intelligence gathering.
“As surveillance devices grow, leaders need it to become an attractive award for becoming a dictator,” Pogo said in an August 2024 report. “We hope that our country will not be able to build and expand the surveillance superstructure, and not be directed at people who intend to protect it.”
Start with immigration and where do you end up?
Trump campaigned in 2024 on a strict immigration enforcement platform, including massive deportation and ending access to federal programs by undocumented people. Immigration rights advocates say people living illegally in the United States are generally prohibited from federal programs, but those with children born as US citizens often have access to food aid and health care.
Supporters say having access to that data will help people prioritize deportation by comparing work history and tax payments with immigration status.
By default, the system must first scoop up information about everyone, as federal officials don’t know exactly who lives illegally in the United States.
One example: A newly expanded program to collect biometric data from suspected illegal immigration intercepted at sea can also be used to collect the same information about American citizens under the vague justification of “official safety.” According to federal documents, that data can be kept for up to 75 years.
“It’s only a matter of time before the harmful ripples from this new effort reach other groups,” Benzke said.
