U.S. Justice Department's Controversial Voter Data Transfer Sparks Privacy Concerns

The U.S. Justice Department is considering sending sensitive voter roll data to Homeland Security Investigations for use in immigration and criminal probes, according to internal documents obtained by Reuters. This initiative, stemming from the Civil Rights Division's recent data collection from 24 states, aims to verify the eligibility of registered voters.

Despite the DOJ's assurance that the data transfer aligns with federal laws, experts and state officials express concerns over potential privacy violations. The DOJ's actions are unprecedented, sparking legal debates and pushback from states reluctant to share such information without demonstrated legal backing.

With Homeland Security's database transformation underway, this move ties into broader immigration and election integrity efforts, two central themes of former President Donald Trump's platform. Yet, critics warn against compromising individual privacy protections in pursuit of these objectives.

(With inputs from agencies.)