Power & Secrets Monitor

• Selective release rule: Footage from deaths or serious injuries released only if officials determine it serves ICE's "best interests," per February...

GAO found DOGE's "Wall of Receipts" claims severely overstated with unreliable data and no transparency.

• 96% unverifiable: Failed to provide info to...

• Washington joins 23 states and DC in suing to stop federal sharing of TANF recipients' personal data with DHS.
• New HHS policy would share SSNs,...

Grassroots pushback against Flock ALPR networks is accelerating from legal challenges to direct action.

• Rhode Island surge: ACLU demanded...

ICE now tracks nearly 54,000 immigrants with GPS ankle monitors, up sharply from 17,000 a year ago, after shifting thousands from cheaper smartphone...

The lawsuit directly challenges NYPD's expansion of real-time surveillance into public housing by connecting nearly 20,000 NYCHA cameras to its Domain...

• State Department advisory: Palantir joins Freedom Tech Excellence Program to counsel on free speech, privacy tech, and countering digital...

New Mexico's lawsuit pits state prosecutors against federal secrecy claims in the Epstein probe.

• State push: AG Raúl Torrez sued DOJ after ten...

• ACLU of Massachusetts released model discovery motions targeting license plate readers, facial recognition, ShotSpotter, BriefCam, and Axon AI...

A report identifies two Muslim American lawyers whose electronic communications were targeted in U.S. surveillance efforts. The case spotlights risks to attorney-client confidentiality.

Opposition to Flock ALPRs is building on separate fronts.

• Idaho communities packed Caldwell council meetings and filed tort claims citing Senate...

Federal agents operate in a Constitution-free zone because procedural barriers block most claims before trial.

• FTCA path against the government...

A federal appeals court blocked the Trump EPA from canceling $20 billion in congressionally appropriated climate grants, ruling that administrative...

• White House declassifies secret FBI probe into whether Trump fired Comey at Russia’s behest
• Probe finds Chinese telecoms retained US footholds...

Democratic-led states and advocacy organizations launched two distinct lawsuits to halt the Trump administration’s TANF data-sharing policy with...

New toolkit helps journalists obtain data and records from federal agencies deleting public information, aiding investigations into the sprawling system.

Law enforcement agencies purchase personal data from third-party brokers to collect information without judicial authorization. This approach exploits a clear legal gap in oversight requirements.

Rep. Tim Burchett introduced the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act to ban federal agencies from buying or accessing Flock-style automated...

• Lawmakers introduced EFTA II after DOJ missed deadlines, released incomplete files, and exposed survivor details while shielding others
• Blanche...

• Bondi sold up to $5.5 million in Trump Media securities on April 2, 2025, hours before Trump announced tariffs that sank the stock.
• This followed...