Contact:
Alexah Rogge
202-225-6611
alexah.rogge@mail.house.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Members of the House Freedom Caucus today sent the letter below to President Donald Trump detailing grave privacy concerns for Americans following Google’s release of personal digital tracking data.
“Google’s colossal stores of data on daily movements of Americans, coupled with the might of local, state, and federal governments is an alarming prospect,” the letter reads. “We are a people with a limited government charged to secure the rights of its citizens. The civil liberties guaranteed to Americans include preservation of privacy—and that must not be violated.”
“We caution that actions taken to contain spreading of coronavirus must also preserve the right to privacy held by each and every American. Our nation is great because of our dedication to individual liberty, self-government, and freedom for all. In times of crisis, we cannot abandon the very things that make us great.”
Full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. President,
We are grateful for your leadership and rigorous whole-of-government approach as we face one of the greatest threats in a generation. We continue to pray for those who are suffering and support those who are serving. The challenge is great, but the resolve of the American people is greater.
Outside the National Archives, an etched pillar reads, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." It may seem a peculiar time to recall this counsel, but recent developments gravely threaten the civil liberties of American citizens. We must express our deep concern about these privacy threats.
As part of their coronavirus response, Google late last week announced it would begin publishing data that tracks the movements of people around the world. By comparing current trends with previous norms, Google attempts to provide government officials with information on which regions are obeying or disobeying social distancing guidelines. The digital trailing is frightfully detailed, specific, and granular. Google’s “Community Mobility Reports” aggregates the movements of people to their local grocery stores, coffee shops, parks, retailers, libraries, pharmacies, transit, workplaces, and homes.
Google’s colossal stores of data on daily movements of Americans, coupled with the might of local, state, and federal governments is an alarming prospect. We are a people with a limited government charged to secure the rights of its citizens. The civil liberties guaranteed to Americans include preservation of privacy—and that must not be violated.
We caution that actions taken to contain spreading of coronavirus must also preserve the right to privacy held by each and every American. Our nation is great because of our dedication to individual liberty, self-government, and freedom for all. In times of crisis, we cannot abandon the very things that make us great.
We believe that Americans together can meet the challenges posed by coronavirus to public health, the nation’s economy, and the civil liberties of citizens.
Sincerely,
Representative Andy Biggs
Representative Chip Roy
Representative Jeff Duncan
Representative Debbie Lesko
Representative Mo Brooks
Representative Louie Gohmert
Representative Andy Harris, M.D.
Representative Scott Perry
Representative Ken Buck
Representative Ron Wright
Representative Russ Fulcher
Representative Jody Hice
Representative Mark Green
Representative Michael Cloud
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