CDT's Equity in Civic Technology Program helps government agencies use data and technology responsibly to provide public services, promoting transparency, privacy, and fairness to improve people's lives without sacrificing their privacy or civil liberties.
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Public agencies and civic institutions increasingly rely on data and technology to carry out their responsibilities, from designing educational programs and providing healthcare options for uninsured families, to allocating unemployment benefits and addressing food and housing instability. As governments expand their use of technology and data, it is critical that they do so in ways that affirm individual privacy, respect civil rights, foster inclusive participatory systems, promote transparent and accountable oversight, and advance just social structures within the broader community.
CDT furthers these goals by providing balanced advocacy that promotes the responsible use of data and technology while protecting the privacy and civil rights of individuals. We engage with these issues from both technical and policy-minded perspectives, creating solutions-oriented policy resources and actionable technical guidance.
The Privacy Paradox: How Government Data Has Become Less Private and Less Useful
Providing ready access to information collected and maintained by the government promotes accountability, innovation, and research, making transparency a core responsibility of serving as a steward of the public’s data. Public agencies must also safeguard sensitive information when making data publicly available.
Defending State Data: Lessons from California v. USDA
As the federal government increasingly seeks access to state administrative data, policymakers should consider not only legal authority and privacy implications, but also the practical effects on public confidence, program effectiveness, and states’ ability to fulfill their obligations to residents.
CDT, EFF, EPIC, and Upturn Submit Comments on GSA’s Updated Draft AI Terms and Conditions for Federal Contracts
Today, the Center for Democracy & Technology and allies submitted comments to the General Services Administration (GSA) in response to the request for comment regarding their updated draft AI Terms and Conditions for federal solicitations and contracts.
Bias at Scale: Understanding AI’s Impact on Student Achievement and Opportunity Gaps
Schools have an opportunity and responsibility to ensure that new technologies support, rather than undermine, their longstanding goal of expanding opportunity.
CDT Submits Comments Urging Careful Approach for Expansion of Do Not Pay System
CDT urges agencies to protect the personal data with which they have been entrusted by applying robust data minimization practices, enacting strong security protocols, limiting redisclosure, and mitigating data quality issues.
Civil Society and Government Officials Discuss Inclusive State SOGI Data Practices
On a webinar titled “State-Level Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Practices: Inclusive Data, Responsible Governance” experts explored the benefits and risks of data governance, the current landscape of state laws, the legal context for data protections, and promising practices for ethical data management.
What is a Database? A Technical Guide to the Personal and Institutional Considerations of Government Data Consolidation
Data consolidation must be rigorously assessed to ensure that appropriate protections are in place, the data sharing is in service of the agencies’ missions, and there are frameworks and processes in place to ensure the data is not repurposed in ways that harm the people the agencies are meant to serve.
CDT Testimony before New York City Council Joint Hearing on AI, Student Data, and Privacy in NYC Public Schools
Maddy Dwyer, State Policy Analyst for CDT, testified at a joint hearing before the New York City Council Committee on Education and Committee on Technology, on the issues of artificial intelligence (AI), student data, and privacy in NYC Public Schools.
