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Midterm elections 2026: tech issues on voters' minds
A roundup of the 2026 US midterm elections, highlighting tech-related issues such as the data centre backlash, AI regulation, Flock's surveillance expansion and a proposed California billionaire wealth tax. The article reports that tech billionaires have reportedly donated over $340 million to fight the wealth tax, and that the DOJ is sending 1,000 election monitors to polls in every state. The outcome on 3 November will shape how the next Congress approaches AI regulation and which tech CEOs testify.
Court cases over US 2026 midterm election integrity and federal voter data actions
Just Security's tracker lists active 2026 midterm cases, including US government suits against California and Alaska and challenges to DHS and DOJ voter-list and enforcement actions. Recent rulings include a preliminary injunction barring DHS election-related field operations in nine states, a temporary restraining order limiting DOJ and DHS threats against election officials, and the vacating of a federal Voter List Maintenance Policy. Several hearings and decisions are scheduled for early to mid November 2026.
US Justice Department flags privacy concerns over possible sale of Character.AI chat data
The DOJ's Executive Office for U.S. Trustees has asked for a consumer privacy ombudsman to advise the court on how Character.AI user chat data may be sold and under what terms. The filing highlights privacy risks tied to the transfer of conversational data in a potential sale.
US charges five over AI-assisted ghost student loan fraud, seizes over $750,000 in crypto
The US Department of Justice has charged five individuals in what it describes as the first broad federal crackdown on "ghost students", fraudsters who use the identities of hundreds of Americans to enrol as fake students and obtain student loans. The DOJ said the scheme relied partly on AI, and that data analysis helped flag likely fraudsters before it seized over $750,000 in cryptocurrency from a network associated with Kenyan nationals.