NEW YORK (AP) – A coalition of over 30 privacy and civil rights groups and Thursday called on and protect U.S. universities to dismantle campuses and data collection Student protesters Others from government retaliation.
Requests issued in letters sent to leaders of 60 major universities and universities come as President Donald Trump has Pressed school They crack down on suspected anti-Semitism and take the more difficult line in demonstrations.
However, the group said it was essential for the university to resist that pressure, including threats to millions of dollars. Federal Research Grantsmaintains academic freedom and rights to the expression of students, such as students, faculty and others.
“We look at the financial pressure that all campuses are below,” said Gornaz Fakimi, the legal director of Muslim advocates, a civil rights group that counseled students who participated in Palestinian protests and participated in signing the letter. “But we think this is the moment when all campuses are lurking,” he holds the boundary against government interference.
In their letter, the group called on university leaders to refuse to work with law enforcement agencies seeking to monitor, detain, or remove students, and asked for more to ensure and delete sensitive data. The letter also called for the school to deny restrictions on masks worn by some student protesters in order to hide their identity and work to dismantle and dismantle the campus surveillance system.
“Without immediate action, surveillance tools and the data they accumulate will be used to forcefully charge toxic attacks on campus communities,” says a letter coordinated by future group fights. It was signed by 32 groups, including Amnesty International USA, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Several universities have made new introductions Security measures Protest guidelines following the wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests in spring 2024.
The letter was sent to leaders at 60 schools, including the University of Michigan and Columbia University Yale. Last month, he agreed to pay more than $220 million in a contract with the Trump administration. Federal Research Funding It was cancelled in the name of fighting anti-Semitism on campus.
“Surveying is not making universities safer,” said Will Owen, of the Surveillance Technology Surveillance Project. “It chills free speech and puts it at risk for opposition to fraud. It’s really essential that campuses protect their communities from threats.”
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