The Trump administration is attempting to expand the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, originally designed to verify immigrants applying for federal benefits, into a comprehensive tool for tracking potential noncitizen voters. Voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters and EPIC, filed a lawsuit citing violations of the 1974 Privacy Act and subsequent amendments that prohibit large-scale computer matching across agencies without Congressional approval. They warn this consolidation could lead to unlawful purges of lawful voters and severe privacy infringements.
In addition to SAVE, the lawsuit highlights other government interagency data systems consolidating sensitive information about immigrants. The administration’s effort involves mergers with major federal data sources like Social Security data and makes it easier for states to perform bulk voter data searches. While officials justify these actions as necessary to prevent voter fraud, academic research shows such fraud is extremely rare. The case raises concerns over government surveillance capabilities, potential data misuse, and the risk of cybertheft related to the expanded dataset.
The plaintiffs emphasize the urgency for emergency relief given ongoing attempts by the administration to challenge state voter rolls and encourage purges based on potentially inaccurate citizenship data. They argue the misuse of sensitive Social Security data through SAVE and increased cybersecurity risks represent irreparable harm to voters. Legal challenges to related executive orders empowering these data reviews continue, reflecting broader tensions over election integrity and privacy rights.
👉 Pročitaj original: CyberScoop
