Vote no on the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA). Even if this bill WAS about shoplifting, those kind of law enforcement activities should be dealt with by local law enforcement, DHS or ICE for that matter. This bill is nothing but a way to spy on us, the citizens of the United States by creating a new DHS intelligence center run by the ICE director. It builds data-sharing pipelines between federal agencies and private corporations against the 4th amendment of the Constitution. It also authorizes disclosure of confidential information whenever deemed "operationally necessary”. This is illegal surveillance and should NOT be considered.
The civil liberties problems are serious because CORCA contains no privacy standards governing how personal data are collected, retained, or deleted, and gives individuals no way to review or challenge records kept about them. Retailers already vacuum up consumer data through tools like automated license plate readers, loyalty cards, and cellphone location services. This bill would legally enshrine ICE's ability to tap into all of it. The Vera Institute of Justice warns that once a surveillance infrastructure like this is built, it doesn't get dismantled. This bill has nothing to do with “national security” and everything to do with trying to work around the 4th amendment and surveillance of its citizens.
The procedural red flag here is that Senate sponsors Grassley and Durbin are reportedly looking to attach CORCA to the NDAA, a must-pass defense bill, which would let it skip the full congressional debate these civil liberties stakes demand. Do not let that happen. Vote no on CORCA and oppose any effort to sneak this bill through on the NDAA.
First sent on July 8 by Nobody is above the law
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