Source: The Hill
by Catherine Crump
“Under the banner of modernization and efficiency, the Trump administration has launched a campaign to tear down what it calls ‘data silos’ across agencies. … We are witnessing the construction of a massive surveillance dragnet, built on a flagrant disregard for legal safeguards and people’s rights. People should understand — and be alarmed — that once these data silos come down, they won’t go back up. The power to track, target and punish will exist for every future administration. Will a future Democratic president, for example, cross-reference state gun registration and license records against medical records from the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify unsuitable owners? Even those who support the current ramp-up of immigration enforcement should want a system that is targeted, precise and operating within the rule of law. But the administration is scooping up entire populations in the hope of catching a few.” (08/28/25)