Labor unions sue Trump administration over social media surveillance

Lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are helping three US labor unions sue the Trump administration over a social media surveillance program that threatens to punish those who publicly express views that are not harmonious with the government’s position.

Citing First Amendment violations, the case is attempting to convince a federal court to end the program, which the EFF said has “silenced and frightened both citizens and noncitizens,” and impacted the unions’ ability to engage with members.

The program primarily targets individuals legally residing in the US, meaning they are entitled to constitutional protections, but do not have citizenship.

Nearly all US visa applicants are required to hand over all of the social media handles they have used in the past five years, per a policy update that came into effect under the Trump administration, but was proposed as early as the Obama administration.