Labor unions sue US over social media surveillance

"Lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are helping three US labor unions sue the Trump administration over a social media surveillance program that threatens to punish those who publicly express views that are not harmonious with the government's position. Citing First Amendment violations, the case is attempting to convince a federal court to end the program, which the EFF said has "silenced and frightened both citizens and noncitizens," and impacted the unions' ability to engage with members."

"Nearly all US visa applicants are required to hand over all of the social media handles they have used in the past five years, per a policy update that came into effect under the Trump administration, but was proposed as early as the Obama administration. Noncitizens on F, M, and J visas, which pertain to academic, nonacademic, vocational study and educational exchange programs, are also required to make their social media accounts publicly viewable."

"A combined effort between the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Department of Justice, called "Catch and Revoke," is using AI to monitor these visa holders' social media accounts for support of Hamas, Palestine, or antisemitism. As the name suggests, any individual that expresses non-conforming or what has been described as anti-American views could be stripped of their visas and/or immigration benefits."

Lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation represent three US labor unions in litigation challenging a government social media surveillance program as violating the First Amendment. The program primarily targets noncitizen visa holders who retain constitutional protections but lack citizenship. Nearly all US visa applicants must disclose social media handles used in the past five years, and F, M, and J visa holders must make accounts publicly viewable. A "Catch and Revoke" effort by DHS, State, and DOJ uses AI to monitor for support of Hamas, Palestine, or antisemitism and can trigger visa revocation. A federal court in Massachusetts ruled related executive orders unconstitutional, temporarily barring deportation or visa revocation based on protected speech.

Read at Theregister