The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) announced a series of significant advancements in privacy and civil liberties, including a federal court victory against an illegal voter database and a landmark Supreme Court ruling on geofence searches. These developments underscore a period of heightened activity in data protection and surveillance oversight across the United States.
A federal judge sided with EPIC and co-plaintiffs in League of Women Voters v. DHS, ordering the Trump Administration to dismantle a massive government database that threatened Americans' voting rights. Concurrently, the Supreme Court, in Chatrie v. United States, affirmed that geofence searches violate the Fourth Amendment's reasonable expectation of privacy, a decision EPIC lauded. On the legislative front, EPIC Deputy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, strongly opposing the GOP’s SECURE Data Act, which she said would significantly harm U.S. consumers.
Several states have also made strides in consumer protection, with New York and Connecticut passing bans on surveillance pricing, and Massachusetts unanimously approving the EPIC-endorsed Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act. Illinois passed the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, and New Hampshire banned the sale of children's data, reflecting a growing trend in youth privacy legislation. However, Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed a similar surveillance pricing bill, and EPIC expressed concerns over the Trump administration's National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM 11) removing guardrails on AI.
EPIC also welcomed four new Advisory Board members—Ashkan Soltani, Erie Meyer, Ian Fuller, and Zamaan Qureshi—and announced its 2026 Champions of Freedom event, scheduled for September 22 in Washington, D.C. The event will continue EPIC's "STOP THE SURVEILLANCE STATE CAMPAIGN," bringing together leading voices to address the blurring lines between Big Tech and government power and its implications for civil liberties. The organization continues to advocate for robust privacy protections, including urging Congress to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).