Homeland Security urges DOJ to examine transfer of voter data to Zuckerberg-linked nonprofit
The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Justice Department to investigate possible violations of the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act after sensitive voter data was shared with a nonprofit tied to Mark Zuckerberg.
In a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked the Justice Department to look into possible Driver’s Privacy Protection Act breaches involving the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Mullin says ERIC obtained private driver-license and Social Security information from state motor-vehicle agencies and then shared it with the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), which receives funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
The letter cites evidence that ERIC may have used the data for voter outreach, and that at least nine states entered grant agreements that required the transfer of this information, covering more than 48 million registered voters. Mullin warns that the data could be valuable to political campaigns and that the sharing may not fit any permitted research exception under the DPPA. A Trump-era official suggested the DOJ could issue a cease-and-desist, impose penalties, or examine CEIR’s nonprofit status.
Why it matters
Potential misuse of millions of citizens' private data raises privacy and election integrity concerns.
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