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MARCH U.S. NEWSLETTER 

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CDT Speaks Out for AI Safeguards and Surveillance Limits in Anthropic-Pentagon Fight

As the Pentagon’s heated, unprecedented battle with Anthropic over government uses of the company’s products — and OpenAI’s parallel negotiations — have unfolded, CDT has raised the alarm on the profound privacy, civil liberties, and free market issues at stake.

Early on, we questioned the legality ([link removed]) of ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology and highlighted the events’ gravity: “The President is wielding the full weight of the federal government to blacklist a company for taking a narrowly-tailored, principled stance to restrict some of the most extreme uses of AI you could imagine”, CDT President and CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens told AFP. “This action sets a dangerous precedent. It chills private companies’ ability to engage frankly with the government about appropriate uses of their technology.” And at Politico, CDT’s Samir Jain argued that the actions run counter ([link removed]) to the Administration’s stated goal of advancing U.S. AI leadership, calling them “another dimension through which American policy is becoming incoherent on AI.”

When the Pentagon further retaliated against Anthropic by designating the company a supply-chain risk, we convened leaders in national security, business, civil society, and technology, across parties and ideologies, to speak out in opposition. The coalition called on Congress to set red lines ([link removed]) and defend the future of American innovation, the rule of law, and the constitutional boundaries of executive power.

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CDT is also emphasizing another driver of the fight: mass surveillance of Americans, which is already in the news as lawmakers discuss renewal ([link removed]) of controversial warrantless surveillance authority FISA 702, federal authorities target journalists and peaceful protestors ([link removed]), and the federal government continues to demand unprecedented access ([link removed]) to data about everyday Americans. In , Givens explained ([link removed]), Givens explained ([link removed]) that military and intelligence agencies can and do bulk purchase ([link removed]) Americans’ sensitive data from brokers, powering broad, unchecked government surveillance in an end-run around the Fourth Amendment. We called on lawmakers to close ([link removed]) the “data broker loophole ([link removed])” by passing the Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act, which passed the House last year with strong bipartisan support. And at Tech Policy Press, CDT’s Jake Laperruque laid out the questions around surveillance and privacy that OpenAI must answer ([link removed]) if it wants the public to have faith that its agreement with the Defense Department includes meaningful safeguards.

At the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Anthropic has challenged its designation as a supply-chain risk. CDT and the ACLU filed a brief in support, urging the court to stop the government ([link removed]) from so disproportionately punishing the company for maintaining its basic terms of service. We explained that Anthropic’s position is vital in light of the dangers posed by AI tools when applied to immense datasets containing sensitive information — and that people in the U.S. deserve lasting legislative solutions addressing the inadequacies in U.S. privacy law that the government readily exploits. As CDT’s Greg Nojeim told CNET ([link removed]), AI surveillance is "not the kind of conduct that the military should be able to self-authorize."

In Case You Missed It

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— As the federal government appears to reopen questions around foreign involvement and impact in the 2020 election, we marshalled the facts ([link removed]) as they’ve been reported and assessed around various claims.

— In advance of the March 5 House Energy and Commerce markup ([link removed]) of bills intended to protect children online, CDT sent a letter explaining the privacy and free expression risks presented by several of the pieces of legislation before the Committee. The analysis follows our testimony ([link removed]) and separate ([link removed]) letters ([link removed]) related to CDT’s concerns about the bills. 

— In an amicus brief ([link removed]) in Chatrie v. United States ([link removed]-(E-D-Va-)), CDT and other civil society organizations called on the Supreme Court to reject an overbroad “geofence” warrant that was used to gather location data on everyone in an area. We argue that the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement protects electronic location data, and that approving this warrant would open the door to problematic “reverse warrants.”

— CDT joined comments objecting ([link removed]) to an effort by the Treasury Department ([link removed]) to dramatically — and arguably illegally — consolidate the personal information of nearly all individuals associated with financial assistance programs the Department administers.

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Graphic for CDT's Spring Fling. Yellow and pink petals on a gray background with Spring Fling in pixelated green and blue text. 

CDT "In Person"

—  Mark your calendars! CDT’s 2026 Spring Fling will take place on Monday, March 30th from 7:00-10:00 pm at Crimson Whiskey Bar in Washington, DC. The event brings together over 500 privacy and AI leaders from government, industry, and civil society for a celebratory night alongside IAPP’s Global Summit. Visit our event page to purchase tickets ([link removed]) and learn more about special discounted passes to Spring Fling and LGBT Tech’s Heated Privacy. 

— CDT policy counsel George Slover testified before the Pennsylvania Assembly’s House Majority Policy Committee ([link removed]) on dynamic pricing. He provided testimony about how the practice is unfair and discriminatory in nature, secretly using a customer’s personal data to charge higher prices.

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—  Don’t miss the newest episode of CDT's podcast, Tech Talks! In this episode, CDT’s Kate Ruane and Riana Pfefferkorn, Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and CDT Advisory Council member, discuss the controversy surrounding Grok AI ([link removed]) and the evolving responsibilities of AI developers.  

— Along with the National Partnership for Women and Families, CDT hosted a webinar, When Commercial Data Becomes Evidence: Health Privacy & Corporate Responsibility Post-Roe ([link removed]), discussing best practices for data privacy and the handling of sensitive health information.

CDT In the Press

— CDT’s Miranda Bogen told Time ([link removed]), “As AI models implement memory, they initially appear to be more helpful. But the longer conversations tend to go, the more fragile the guardrails seem to become. When people are engaging deeply over days or weeks, I don't think we know anywhere near enough about the prevalence of unfortunate events where people are drawn into acute mental health crises.”

— At Mother Jones ([link removed]), CDT’s Tom Bowman discussed government efforts to consolidate Americans’ travel records: “Purchasing all of this information from a commercial intermediary like a data broker really undermines and weakens the Fourth Amendment protections in practice,” he said. “Frankly, the rule should be simple: If the government would need a warrant to compel the data, it should not be able to buy it instead. But that’s exactly what the government is seeking to do.”

— In an op-ed for Tech Policy Press ([link removed]), CDT’s Aliya Bhatia and Michal Luria argued that Congress risks advancing bills intended to protect kids’ online safety that are neither effective nor in line with what CDT research shows parents and teens actually want.

Partner Spotlight

CDT is excited to welcome the newest members of our 2026 Advisory Council. Our Advisory Council brings together a wide range of experts who provide forward-looking perspectives that will help guide CDT’s work at the intersection of technology, policy, and democracy during a pivotal year for digital governance.

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Nick Sullivan, smiling wearing a collared shirt in front of a light-colored backdrop.

Staff Spotlight

Nick Sullivan ([link removed]), Visiting Fellow

How long have you been working in digital rights?

I have been working in digital rights for 10+ years, primarily through building and standardizing security and privacy tech that supports open, safe access to the internet.

What do you want people to know about your area of focus in tech policy?

My focus is on cryptography and internet security standards: good policy should strengthen privacy and security by default, rely on open standards and measurable outcomes, and avoid “quick fixes” that weaken encryption or create systemic risk (especially as we transition to post-quantum systems). 

What is the best book you've read recently? 

Eaten by the Internet, edited by Corinne Cath.

Cats or dogs?

Plants… if that counts. Very low-maintenance and terrible at fetching.

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