Judge Blocks Trump Voter Database, AMD Reverses Encryption Removal

Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Voter Database Over Privacy and Accuracy Fears

U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a 75-page ruling blocking the Trump administration from using a database of Americans’ Social Security numbers and citizenship status for voter roll purges. The ruling, in a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters and other groups, found that the modified SAVE system violates the Social Security Act of 1935 and the Privacy Act of 1974 by creating a clearinghouse Congress never authorized. Judge Sooknanan wrote that the government ‘has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.’

The database combined citizenship data with Social Security records, allowing states to run bulk searches that have already wrongfully flagged some voters as non-citizens, leading to canceled registrations. The system was created following a March 2025 executive order, but the judge noted known accuracy concerns were ignored. Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, said the ruling protects voters ‘from being caught up in an unlawful and error-prone system.’ The White House referred comment to DHS, which did not immediately respond.

Trump voter database blocked by judge for privacy, accuracy fears →

Anthropic Privacy Policy Now Collects Biometric Data From Flagged Claude Users

Anthropic updated its privacy policy, effective July 8, requiring a small subset of Claude users flagged for policy violations to upload government-issued IDs and submit selfie photos or videos for identity verification. The policy introduces collection of facial geometry templates, which may qualify as biometric information under state privacy laws like Illinois’s BIPA. Anthropic spokesperson Thariq Shihipar said the requirement applies only to users not yet banned, giving them an appeal path through identity verification.

Accepted documents include passports, driver’s licenses, and national IDs, but digital IDs and photocopies are not accepted. Anthropic uses Persona, a San Francisco-based identity-checking platform backed by Founders Fund, to process the data; it does not handle verification internally. Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund also invests in Anthropic, creating a notable connection. Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act imposes penalties of $1,000 to $5,000 per violation for improper biometric data collection, and Facebook settled a BIPA class action for $650 million in 2021.

Anthropic’s new privacy policy collects biometric data from flagged Claude users →

Canada Passes Controversial Bill C-22 Lawful Access Before Summer Break

The Canadian government passed Bill C-22 on June 18, fast-tracking the lawful access legislation through the House of Commons just before the summer recess. The bill was scrutinized in 25 hours of clause-by-clause debate, with roughly a dozen amendments passed, including an explicit statement that decryption of encrypted information is not required and a reduction of metadata retention to six months from one year. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said every day matters and the Senate can take it up when they return in September.

The bill faced heavy criticism from major tech companies. Google recommended no metadata retention at all, while Apple, Meta, and Google cited privacy and security issues during consultations. Signal threatened to pull out of Canada over the legislation. A Google spokesperson said the government could support law enforcement without resorting to secret ministerial orders that put Canadians at risk. Bill C-22 is now set for Senate review in the fall.

Feds pass controversial C-22 lawful access bill before summer break →

Canadian Government Quietly Spent Tens of Millions on Secret Palantir Contract

Records from the IJF’s Open By Default database reveal that the Canadian government approved tens of millions of dollars in extra spending for a secret contract with Palantir’s Canadian subsidiary. The contract, which involved over a dozen amendments, provided services to an elite unit of the Canadian military. The details of the contract remain largely undisclosed, raising concerns about transparency and oversight in government dealings with private surveillance technology companies.

Canadian government spent tens of millions on secret Palantir contract →

AMD Reinstates Memory Encryption in Consumer CPUs After User Outcry

AMD announced it will reinstate Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME), which it calls Memory Guard, in consumer Ryzen 9000-series desktop processors after silently removing the feature in a recent firmware update. The protection encrypts all physical memory against cold boot and physical-access attacks. AMD had added TSME to high-end CPUs about a decade ago and later extended it to lower-end chips, but removed it without warning—a change undetectable on Windows and requiring technical effort on Linux.

Critics suspected the removal aimed to push customers toward costlier CPUs, though performance latency from encryption or difficulty of support were also possible reasons. Many gamers had already voluntarily disabled TSME. Following social media backlash, AMD said in an email: ‘Based on valuable community feedback, we will reinstate this option in an upcoming BIOS release in July.’ The company has not explained why it removed the protection. TSME is OS-independent and uses an ephemeral encryption key created at each system start.

Following user outcry, AMD reinstates memory encryption in consumer CPUs →