Supreme Court Abortion Ruling “Devastating” for Women’s Right to Privacy
CDT condemns the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org as profoundly misguided, with devastating impact for the right to privacy of people seeking reproductive care. State laws that criminalize abortion, or deputize private citizens to sue those who perform an abortion or aid/abet such a procedure, create frightening new incentives for law enforcement & civilians to seek out private info about patients seeking reproductive care & providers who support them.
![The CDT logo. A white "cdt" alongside "Center for Democracy & Technology" on a light blue background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-03-10-CDT-default-image-BLUE-1024x572.png)
CDT + Others Lead Supreme Court Brief Urging High Court to Stop Texas Social Media Law
CDT joined a coalition of human rights organizations, including EFF, the National Coalition Against Censorship, R Street Institute, the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent Texas’s social media law from taking immediate effect.
![CDT, EFF + other organizations lead a Supreme Court brief urging the High Court to stop the Texas social media law. White document on a dark grey background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CDT-EFF-Other-Orgs-Lead-Supreme-Court-Brief-Urging-High-Court-to-Stop-Texas-Social-Media-Law-1024x536.png)
A Closer Look at the Impact on Encryption, Metadata + More in Meta’s HRIA
In 2019, Facebook asked Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to conduct a thorough human rights impact assessment (HRIA) of its plans to roll out end-to-end encryption for all of its messaging services. BSR recently published its report, along with now-Meta/WhatsApp’s response to the 45 recommendations.
![The CDT logo. A light and dark grey "cdt" alongside "Center for Democracy & Technology" on a white background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-03-10-CDT-default-image-WHITE-1024x572.png)
CDT Joins Letter Urging White House, World Gov’ts to Ensure Internet Access to Russian People
CDT joined 35+ civil society orgs in calling on the U.S. and other governments to ensure that their sanctions policies do not result in people in Russia being cut off from the Internet. Internet access is vital to the safety and well-being of civilian populations in times of war, as well as times of peace.
![CDT joined a letter urging the White House & world governments to ensure internet access to Russian people. White document on a dark grey background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CDT-Joins-Letter-Urging-White-House-World-Governments-to-Ensure-Internet-Access-to-Russian-People-1024x536.png)
Placing Equity at the Center of Health Care & Technology
CDT’s latest report identifies and suggests ways in which privacy protections around consumer health information can benefit everyone, including underrepresented and overlooked communities harmed by current health data practices.
![Placing Equity at the Center of Health Care & Technology. A dark blue background with light blue and white text, and a CDT logo in white. A light blue gradient falls gently from the bottom left corner to the right.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-03-23-CDT-Placing-Equity-at-the-Center-of-Health-Care-Technology-cover-191x1-1-1024x536.jpg)
CDT Leads Broad Coalition Urging Senate to Drop EARN IT Act
CDT is leading 60+ human rights, civil rights, & open Internet orgs – including ACLU, HRC, GLAAD, and others – in calling on Congress to oppose the fatally-flawed EARN IT Act. It threatens encryption & freedom of expression while making it harder to protect children from online abuse.
![CDT led a coalition letter urging Congress to drop the Earn It Act (S.3538). White document on a dark grey background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Human-rights-coalition-opposition-letter-to-EARN-IT-Act-S3538-1024x536.png)
Centering Disability in Technology Policy: Issue Landscape and Opportunities
Undertaken as a collaboration between the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) with the support of Freedman Consulting, this report is intended to help public interest organizations do more inclusive, effective work at the intersection of technology and disability issues in the United States.
![A joint report, by CDT and AAPD, entitled "Centering Disability in Technology Policy." Authors are Henry Claypool, Claire Carey, Alexander C. Hart, and Linnea Lassiter. Dark blue text on a white background.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-06-Centering-Disability-in-Technology-Policy-cover-191x1-insights-page-2500x-1024x536.png)
Making Transparency Meaningful: A Framework for Policymakers
The term transparency is everywhere in policy debates. This paper sets forth a conceptual framework for transparency about practices that affect users’ speech, access to information, and privacy from government surveillance. It maps and briefly describes current and past efforts at transparency in four distinct categories.
![CDT report, entitled "Making Transparency Meaningful: A Framework for Policymakers." Large black text underlined with three wide gradients of soft purples, green / blues, and red – as if sunlight was reflecting through an open window.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-13-Making-Transparency-Meaningful-cover-graphic-191x1-2500x-1024x536.jpg)
Legal Loopholes and Data for Dollars: Law Enf. and Intel Agencies Buying Your Data from Brokers
This report between our Research + Security & Surveillance teams examines the concerning & rising practice of law enforcement & intelligence agencies sidestepping legal processes by obtaining data on Americans through commercial purchases from data brokers.
![CDT Research report, entitled "Legal Loopholes and Data for Dollars: How Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies Are Buying Your Data from Brokers." Orange and black text on a distressed, photo-copied paper background. Light blue scan marks run across the top of the image.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-08-Legal-Loopholes-and-Data-for-Dollars-191x1-cover-SM-2500x-1024x536.png)
Outside Looking In: Approaches to Content Moderation in End-to-End Encrypted Systems
A new front has opened up in the Crypto Wars: how providers of end-to-end encrypted communications services can and should moderate unwanted content. This report finds effective ways to moderate problematic content within end-to-end encrypted systems without sacrificing users’ fundamental rights to privacy, free expression, & security.
![Cover of CDT's report, "Outside Looking In: Approaches to Content Moderation in End-to-End Encrypted Systems." A wireframe of the interaction of content on a platform being flagged by a content moderation system, and the ensuing steps.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cdt-e2ee-social-cover-sm-1024x536.png)
Our Work Has Never Been More Important
At the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), we believe in the power of the internet. Whether it’s facilitating entrepreneurial endeavors, providing access to new markets and opportunities, or creating a platform for free speech, the internet empowers, emboldens and equalizes people around the world.
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Explore Our Issues
CDT’s 2021 Annual Report
In 2021 – at a pivotal time for democracy – CDT was at the forefront, advancing a tech policy agenda focused on equity and democratic values. Read more about how we took advantage of the year’s new beginnings in tech policy in our 2021 Annual Report.
![CDT's 2021 Annual Report. Photo collage - on top left, a couple sitting outside and enjoying something on their tablet. On bottom left, a person riding a train while taking a phone call on their cell phone. On top right, a masked election official working on election technology. On bottom right, a student smiles while they work amongst a group of other students at a computer lab.](https://web.archive.org./web/20221001013145im_/https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-05-27-Annual-Report-cover-for-website-191x1-2500x-1024x536.jpg)
90+
Number of organizations that sent a letter urging Apple to abandon its plans to build surveillance capabilities into its iPhones & other products. Read.
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Number of email newsletters around bubbling policy areas like student privacy & equity, AI, and more. Sign up.
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Who We Are
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We are a team of experts with deep knowledge of issues pertaining to the internet, privacy, security, technology, and intellectual property. We come from academia, private enterprise, government, and the non-profit worlds to translate complex policy into action.
Check Out CDT’S Podcast – Tech Talk
Tech is all around you – and now, insights on the tech policies that are shaping your digital world can be added to your podcast playlist. You can find CDT’s Tech Talk on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes, and Google Play, as well as Stitcher and TuneIn.
Do the possibilities presented by an innovative, open, and free internet inspire you? Do you find yourself engaged in passionate discussions about privacy policies? Are you yearning to put your expertise to work on Internet neutrality legislation? If so, you might be a great fit for our team. View our open opportunities.