When Tech Becomes a Threat: Government Surveillance, Privacy, and Your Civil Rights
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a great time to assess and take appropriate measures to protect your personal data and to update any old passwords that could be easily compromised. These days, threats to your privacy aren’t only from hackers, but they can also come from corporations or even possibly some government agencies. Technologies like facial recognition and license plate readers, which are praised for keeping us safe, can also be used in ways that could chip away at our constitutional rights.
How Misuse Typically Happens
Some common ways that surveillance tech can end up crossing the line:
False Matches – Facial recognition systems can misidentify people, leading to wrongful arrests.
Data Without Consent – Agencies and companies may collect data without notice, which in turn, can potentially violate state laws or constitutional protections.
“Mission Creep” – Tools that may have been introduced for serious crimes or national security, slowly expand into routine policing or monitoring.
No Transparency – Many algorithmic systems used in policing can operate as "black boxes," making it difficult for defendants to challenge how they were identified.
How Good Tech Goes Bad
Recent lawsuits and news stories are now beginning to shed light on the dangers of surveillance tech that goes unchecked.
In 2023, Detroit police arrested Porcha Woodruff, who was eight months pregnant, after a facial recognition system flagged her as a suspect in a carjacking. She was then detained for hours before authorities realized she had nothing to do with the crime. Although her lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, the case prompted the city of Detroit to change its policies; banning arrests based solely on facial recognition matches.
In another privacy case, Clearview AI, a facial recognition company, scraped billions of images from the internet to create its database. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have even purchased access to it. In a stunningly rare verdict in March 2025, a federal judge approved a class-action settlement that gives plaintiffs equity in the company itself.
Privacy concerns aren’t just limited to one person, or a group of people. In 2024, the state of Texas secured a $1.4 billion settlement from Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) for using its facial recognition “Tag Suggestions” feature without user’s consent. Millions of Texans had their biometric data scanned and stored without their knowledge, violating state law.
Sometimes, surveillance issues aren’t always limited to faces. In Virginia, a judge ruled that data collected by Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) counts as a search under the Fourth Amendment. That means police must now get a warrant before accessing the data. Without safeguards like this, agencies could theoretically track your every move, from where you shop to where you worship, all without you ever knowing.
3 Ways to Protect Yourself
Even though the potential risks are real, there are ways you can protect yourself and lessen your exposure to threats:
Learn Your State’s Privacy Laws
Some states, like Illinois and Texas, have strong biometric privacy protections. Others have limited or no restrictions on surveillance. Knowing your state’s rules could give you leverage if your data is misused.
Limit Your Digital Footprint
Adjust and/or enhance your social media privacy settings, turn off automatic photo tagging, and reduce public sharing of images and location data. Small steps like disabling geotagging or restricting app permissions can help shrink the pool of data available to surveillance systems.
Act Quickly if You Suspect a Violation
If you believe your privacy has been invaded:
Document what happened.
File public records requests or complaints.
Contact a civil rights attorney immediately. Early legal action can increse your chances of holding agencies accountable.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month isn’t just about keeping hackers out of your inbox. It’s also about recognizing when your own government or a corporation may have crossed the line and put your rights at risk.
If you believe your privacy has been violated through government surveillance or a misuse of your data, contact us today. Our firm is ready to help you to protect your civil rights in the digital age.
