Three leading US labour unions, the United Auto Workers (UAW), Communications Workers of America (CWA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of unlawfully monitoring the social media activity of visa holders.
The case, filed in a federal court in New York, challenges a government programme that reportedly uses artificial intelligence to analyse the online posts of non-citizens. According to the unions, this digital scrutiny has led to visa cancellations and detentions based on political opinions, particularly those critical of the United States or sympathetic to Palestine.
Union representatives argue that such practices violate the First Amendment by suppressing free expression and creating a culture of fear among foreign workers. They say that many individuals have begun self-censoring or avoiding union activities to protect their immigration status.
The complaint describes the programme, known informally as Catch and Revoke, as an AI-driven system that flags content deemed politically sensitive. Civil rights organisations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), have supported the lawsuit, warning that it represents a dangerous expansion of digital surveillance into personal speech.
The unions have demanded an immediate halt to the surveillance, the deletion of existing data, and stronger safeguards to prevent future violations. The US government has defended its policy, asserting that monitoring social media content is essential to national security and falls within its immigration authority.
Legal experts believe the case could influence how artificial intelligence is used in government investigations and shape future debates on privacy, free speech, and the rights of non-citizens working in the United States. |
