不適正利用対策に関するワーキンググループ（第10回）

令和7年度過疎地域持続的発展支援交付金の交付決定

電気通信事業法施行規則の一部を改正する省令案に対する意見募集の実施

村上総務大臣閣議後記者会見の概要

家計調査報告（二人以上の世帯）2025年（令和7年）4月分

総合職技術系既合格者向け官庁訪問の情報を更新しました。

　　5月初旬に開催された横浜国際映画祭で、横浜の多様な市民活動とそのつながりを捉えたドキュメンタリー作品『The Spirit of Yokohama』が披露された。映画ファンが集い興行的にも注目される映画が数多く上映された中、違った意味で異彩を放った「究極の地域映画」として注目した。　横浜・元町で生まれ育ち、長年横浜の街づくりに関わってきた今年97歳の杉島和三郎さんにスポットを当てる。いわば市民活動の「つなぎ役」として、横浜の戦後復興でいかに市民の力が発揮されたかなどを説明..

The Trump administration has been heavily invested in consolidating all of the government’s information into a single searchable, or perhaps AI-queryable, super database. The compiling of all of this information is being done with the dubious justification of efficiency and modernization–however, in many cases, this information was originally siloed for important reasons: to protect your privacy, to prevent different branches of government from using sensitive data to punish or harass you, and to perserve the trust in and legitimacy of important civic institutions.

Attempts to Centralize All the Government’s Information About You

This process of consolidation has taken several forms. The purported Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been seeking access to the data and computer systems of dozens of government agencies. According to one report, access to the data of these agencies has given DOGE, as of April 2025, hundreds of pieces of personal information about people living in the United States–everything ranging from financial and tax information, health and healthcare information, and even computer I.P. addresses. EFF is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE for disclosing personal information about government employees to people who don’t need it in violation of the Privacy Act of 1974.

Another key maneuver in centralizing government information has been to steamroll the protections that were in place that keep this information away from agencies that don’t need, or could abuse, this information. This has been done by ignoring the law, like the Trump administration did when it ordered the IRS make tax information available for the purposes of immigration enforcement. It has also been done through the creation of new (and questionable) executive mandates that all executive branch information be made available to the White House or any other agency. Specifically, this has been attempted with the March 20, 2025 Executive Order, “Stopping Waste Fraud and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos” which mandates that the federal government, as well as all 50 state governments, allow other agencies “full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems.” But executive orders can’t override privacy laws passed by Congress.

Not only is the Trump administration trying to consolidate all of this data institutionally and statutorily, they are also trying to do it technologically. A new report revealed that the administration has contracted Palantir—the open-source surveillance and security data-analytics firm—to fuse data from multiple agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services.

Why it Matters and What Can Go Wrong 

The consolidation of government records equals more government power that can be abused. Different government agencies necessarily collect information to provide essential services or collect taxes. The danger comes when the government begins pooling that data and using it for reasons unrelated to the purpose it was collected.

Imagine, for instance, a scenario where a government employee could be denied health-related public services or support because of the information gathered about them by an agency that handles HR records. Or a person’s research topic according to federal grants being used to weigh whether or not that person should be allowed to renew a passport.

Marginalized groups are most vulnerable to this kind of abuse, including to locate individuals for immigration enforcement using tax records. Government records could also be weaponized against people who receive food subsidies, apply for student loans, or take government jobs. 

Congress recognized these dangers 50 years ago when it passed the Privacy Act to put strict limits on the government’s use of large databases. At that time, trust in the government eroded after revelations about White House enemies’ lists, misuse of existing government personality profiles, and surveillance of opposition political groups.

There’s another important issue at stake: the future of federal and state governments that actually have the information and capacity to help people. The more people learn to distrust the government because they worry the information they give certain government agencies may be used to hurt them in the future, the less likely people will be to participate or seek the help they need. The fewer people engage with these agencies, the less likely they will be to survive. Trust is a key part of any relationship between the governed and government and when that trust is abused or jettisoned, the long-term harms are irreparable.

EFF, like dozens of other organizations, will continue to fight to ensure personal records held by the government are only used and disclosed as needed and only for the purpose they were collected, as federal law demands. 

Related Cases: American Federation of Government Employees v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management

This resource list has been compiled thanks in large part to the outstanding contributions of the APC community. We present it as a complementary collection to the article “Stepping outside the…

“Pernicious.”

“Unprecedented... cringe-worthy.”

“Egregious.”

“Shocking.” 

These are just some of the words that federal judges used in recent weeks to describe President Trump’s politically motivated and vindictive executive orders targeting law firms that have employed people or represented clients or causes he doesn’t like. 

But our favorite word by far is “unconstitutional.” 

EFF was one of the very first legal organizations to publicly come out in support of Perkins Coie when it became the first law firm to challenge the legality of President Trump’s executive order targeting it. Since then, EFF has joined four amicus briefs in support of targeted law firms, and in all four cases, judges from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia have indicated they’re having none of it. Three have issued permanent injunctions deeming the executive orders null and void, and the fourth seems to be headed in that same direction. 

Trump issued his EO against Perkins Coie on March 6. In a May 2 opinion finding the order unconstitutional and issuing a permanent injunction, Senior Judge Beryl A. Howell wrote:  

“By its terms, this Order stigmatizes and penalizes a particular law firm and its employees—from its partners to its associate attorneys, secretaries, and mailroom attendants—due to the Firm’s representation, both in the past and currently, of clients pursuing claims and taking positions with which the current President disagrees, as well as the Firm’s own speech,” Howell wrote. “In a cringe-worthy twist on the theatrical phrase ‘Let’s kill all the lawyers,’ EO 14230 takes the approach of ‘Let’s kill the lawyers I don’t like,’ sending the clear message: lawyers must stick to the party line, or else.” 

“Using the powers of the federal government to target lawyers for their representation of clients and avowed progressive employment policies in an overt attempt to suppress and punish certain viewpoints, … is contrary to the Constitution, which requires that the government respond to dissenting or unpopular speech or ideas with ‘tolerance, not coercion.’” 

 Trump issued a similar EO against Jenner & Block on March 25. In a May 23 opinion also finding the order unconstitutional and issuing a permanent injunction, Senior Judge John D. Bates wrote: 

“This order—which takes aim at the global law firm Jenner & Block—makes no bones about why it chose its target: it picked Jenner because of the causes Jenner champions, the clients Jenner represents, and a lawyer Jenner once employed. Going after law firms in this way is doubly violative of the Constitution. Most obviously, retaliating against firms for the views embodied in their legal work—and thereby seeking to muzzle them going forward—violates the First Amendment’s central command that government may not ‘use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.’ Nat’l Rifle Ass’n of Am. v. Vullo, 602 U.S. 175, 188 (2024). More subtle but perhaps more pernicious is the message the order sends to the lawyers whose unalloyed advocacy protects against governmental viewpoint becoming government-imposed orthodoxy. This order, like the others, seeks to chill legal representation the administration doesn’t like, thereby insulating the Executive Branch from the judicial check fundamental to the separation of powers. It thus violates the Constitution and the Court will enjoin its operation in full.” 

 Trump issued his EO targeting WilmerHale on March 27. In a May 27 opinion finding that order unconstitutional, Senior Judge Richard J. Leon wrote: 

“The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting. The Founding Fathers knew this! Accordingly, they took pains to enshrine in the Constitution certain rights that would serve as the foundation for that independence. Little wonder that in the nearly 250 years since the Constitution was adopted no Executive Order has been issued challenging these fundamental rights. Now, however, several Executive Orders have been issued directly challenging these rights and that independence. One of these Orders is the subject of this case. For the reasons set forth below, I have concluded that this Order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional. Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!” 

“Taken together, the provisions constitute a staggering punishment for the firm’s protected speech! The Order is intended to, and does in fact, impede the firm’s ability to effectively represent its clients!” 

“Even if the Court found that each section could be grounded in Executive power, the directives set out in each section clearly exceed that power! The President, by issuing the Order, is wielding his authority to punish a law firm for engaging in litigation conduct the President personally disfavors. Thus, to the extent the President does have the power to limit access to federal buildings, suspend and revoke security clearances, dictate federal hiring, and manage federal contracts, the Order surpasses that authority and in fact usurps the Judiciary’s authority to resolve cases and sanction parties that come before the courts!” 

The fourth case in which EFF filed a brief involved Trump’s April 9 EO against Susman Godfrey. In that case, Judge Loren L. AliKhan is still considering whether to issue a permanent injunction, but on April 15 gave a fiery ruling from the bench in granting a temporary restraining order against the EO’s enforcement. 

“The executive order is based on a personal vendetta against a particular firm, and frankly, I think the framers of our Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power,” AliKhan said, as quoted by Courthouse News Service. "The government cannot hold lawyers hostage to force them to agree with it, allowing the government to coerce private business, law firms and lawyers solely on the basis of their view is antithetical to our constitutional republic and hampers this court, and every court’s, ability to adjudicate these cases.” 

And, as quoted by the New York Times: “Law firms across the country are entering into agreements with the government out of fear that they will be targeted next and that coercion is plain and simple. And while I wish other firms were not capitulating as readily, I admire firms like Susman for standing up and challenging it when it does threaten the very existence of their business. … The government has sought to use its immense power to dictate the positions that law firms may and may not take. The executive order seeks to control who law firms are allowed to represent. This immensely oppressive power threatens the very foundations of legal representation in our country.” 

As we wrote when we began filing amicus briefs in these cases, an independent legal profession is a cornerstone of democracy and the rule of law. As a nonprofit legal organization that frequently sues the federal government, EFF understands the value of this bedrock principle and how it–and First Amendment rights more broadly–are threatened by President Trump’s executive orders. It is especially important that the whole legal profession speak out against these actions, particularly in light of the silence or capitulation of a few large law firms. 

We’re glad the courts agree.