COVID-19 FOIA Surveillance Project
Every day, new policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic are making it far easier for government and private companies to collect and share vast amounts of personal information on us. While there are many unknowns around the use of this health surveillance data, we do know that the same technology companies used by DHS and local police to track down and criminalize Black, Brown and immigrant communities are building Trump’s health surveillance machinery.
That’s why we have partnered with Mijente, MediaJustice, and Immigrant Defense Project to launch the COVID-19 FOIA Project. The project’s goal is to monitor how government and tech companies are rapidly expanding tech surveillance in response to the pandemic and to ensure that a public health emergency is not misused to increase deportation and criminalization and do further harm to our communities. It will do so by seeking answers to key questions regarding data-collection, data-sharing, data-retention, and the role of technology companies.
Legal Efforts
Complaint: Just Futures Law et al v. DHS and HHS (February 18, 2021)
For a complete list of filings and agencies, please contact Just Futures Law at FOIA[at]JustFuturesLaw.org
FOIA Filings
Sample Federal FOIA Filings
Freedom of Information Act Request, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (June 13, 2020)
Freedom of Information Act Request, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (June 12, 2020)
Freedom of Information Act Request, White House Office of Science and Technology (June 13, 2020)
Sample State and Local Public Records Requests
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Open Records Act, Request to Mayor’s Office (June 11, 2020)
Chicago, IL
Illinois Freedom of Information Act, Request to Chicago Police Department (June 11, 2020)
New York, NY (City and State)
New York Public Officers Law, Freedom of Information Law, Request to Mayor’s Office (June 11, 2020)
Santa Clara / San José, CA
California Public Records Act, Request to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (June 11, 2020)
California Public Records Act, Request to San José City Manager’s Office (June 11, 2020)
Records Released
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Footnote 1: Protect Project Description
Footnote 3 and 4: HHS Protect_Palantir
Footnote 8 and 9: HSI-Palantir Exchange
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OTSP)
FACTSHEET: OTSP’S Tech Surveillance Response to COVID-19
Emails on Sen. Markey Congressional Letter to OTSP
National Fusion Center Proposal on Social Distance App
Follow-up on Sen. Markey Letter
Advocacy
Resources
Fact Sheet: COVID-19 FOIA Project Reveals That DHS & HHS Used the Pandemic to Expand Tech Surveillance (April 19, 2022)
Fact Sheet: HHS Protect: The Expansion of Dragnet Public Health Surveillance (February 19, 2021)
Fact Sheet: Whitehouse Office of Science and Technology Policy Tech Surveillance Response to COVID-19 (July 28, 2020)