Federal Judges Block Trump Voter Database Using Social Security Records as Supreme Court Allows Data Merging
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 25
Federal Judges Block Trump Voter Database Using Social Security Records as Supreme Court Allows Data Merging
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 25
Summary
Federal judges this year stopped the Trump administration from deploying a national citizenship database that would let state and local election officials run bulk voter checks.
The system expands DHS's SAVE tool, which was previously used mainly to verify eligibility for public benefits and licenses, into a broader voter-screening database.
Last year the administration added Social Security Administration records, allowing SAVE for the first time to query natural-born U.S. citizens with no prior immigration-agency contact; officials have also sought passport and driver's-license data.
Privacy groups including the League of Women Voters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center challenged the effort, while evidence cited in the report says noncitizen voting is very rare and SAVE has made mistakes from faulty data.
A Supreme Court order on Friday nevertheless allowed the administration to merge sensitive data across federal agencies, keeping alive Trump's push for a national citizenship database ahead of the midterm elections.
Could merging sensitive federal records into a single database inadvertently hand foreign hackers the ultimate blueprint for nationwide identity theft?
Will creating a centralized citizenship registry fundamentally alter the balance between government surveillance and individual privacy in the digital age?
When automated systems rely on outdated files, how many eligible citizens might unknowingly lose their rights to a silent algorithmic error?