All Press Releases

USA RIGHTS Act Offers Strong 702 Surveillance Reform


Today, the USA RIGHTS Act, which is aimed at reforming a secretive government surveillance program, was introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill, which would make major changes to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), would create stronger protections for the rights of American citizens while also allowing intelligence agencies to conduct targeted surveillance. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) supports the USA RIGHTS Act and believes it is the best proposal currently before Congress. Section 702 is set to expire at the end of 2017 unless Congress acts.

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Supreme Court to Decide Whether a U.S. Warrant Can Reach Emails Stored Overseas


Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case focused on whether a U.S. warrant can reach emails stored overseas. The case, Microsoft v. United States, has major implications for the privacy rights of internet users both in the U.S. and abroad. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has filed briefs in the case in support of Microsoft’s position, arguing that the U.S. federal government must use the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty process to gain access to information stored outside of the U.S.

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CDT and More than 50 Human Rights Organisations Call on EU Lawmakers to Reject Upload Filters


Today in an open letter, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and more than 50 human rights, media freedom, and press organisations called on European lawmakers to reject mandatory upload filters in Article 13 of the European Commission’s proposed DSM Copyright Directive. Article 13 would force website operators to use content filtering technology to systematically monitor all user uploads and screen for unlicensed copyrighted content.

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Significant Surveillance Reforms in Section 702 Bill; Much More Must Be Added


Today, the Republican and Democratic heads of the House Judiciary Committee revealed the “USA Liberty Act,” legislation that would reform and reauthorize an important intelligence surveillance authority that would otherwise sunset on December 31. The legislation marks an important step forward, but it must do more to protect the rights of both U.S. and global citizens.

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DHS Rule Allowing Collection of Immigrant Social Media Information is an Affront to Human Dignity


The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is disappointed with the recently published Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule that will expand the information DHS says it collects on immigrants to include social media handles and aliases, search results, and “associated identifiable information.” The rule, which takes effect on Oct. 18, 2017, will apply to lawful permanent residents, naturalized U.S. citizens, their relatives and associates, and many who assist in immigration proceedings.

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CDT Announces Members of 2017-2018 Advisory Council


The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is delighted to announce the members of its 2017-2018 Advisory Council. This year’s cohort comprises 63 members from a wide variety of organizations and experiences, many of whom are leaders in the tech policy field.

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CDT Files Complaint with the FTC on Hotspot Shield VPN


For many Americans looking to protect their online privacy, virtual private networks, or VPNs, are a good option. However, a popular free VPN, Hotspot Shield, promises to protect its users’ privacy but has undisclosed data sharing and traffic redirection practices that violate that promise. As a result, CDT has asked the FTC to investigate the data security and data sharing practices of Hotspot Shield Free Virtual Private Network (VPN) services, which we believe should be considered unfair and deceptive trade practices.

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Senators Lee and Leahy Introduce Bold Bill to Protect Privacy in the Digital Age


Today, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the ECPA Modernization Act of 2017, legislation that would modernize the privacy laws that protect the digital communications of all Americans. The bill, which would fundamentally reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, is more comprehensive than previous reform efforts. CDT has been a leading advocate for major ECPA reform to protect privacy in the digital age and strongly supports this bipartisan legislation.

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Positive Signals in Copyright Office’s Section 1201 Report


The U.S. Copyright Office released its report on its study of Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Reform of Section 1201, which prohibits circumvention of technological protection measures, is essential for cybersecurity researchers working to make software more secure. There were a number of welcome recommendations on reform of Section 1201 in the report, although many of the proposed changes require congressional action.

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