Equity in Civic Technology, Privacy & Data
CDT Joins Call for SNAP Payment Processors to Refuse USDA Data Requests
This week, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) joined Protect Democracy and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in calling on the private companies that process Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments to refuse the federal government’s unprecedented, and likely illegal, request to access sensitive information about tens of millions of Americans who receive this life-saving benefit.
For over 60 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has funded states to administer SNAP. In that time, the federal government has never requested access to the personal data of all program recipients, which are primarily low-income families as well as disabled or older adults. Forcing states to turn over data collected to administer a program that feeds millions of low-income, disabled, and older people for unknown purposes is an alarming data privacy threat that will create a chilling effect that prevents Americans from accessing life-saving benefits.
In this letter, we urge SNAP payment processors to stand up for privacy and refuse to facilitate this broad and dangerous attempt at government overreach.