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Race + Tech

Machines and algorithms now make decisions about who gets hired, who gets housing, who receives public benefits, and who is policed, often through opaque automated systems that impose life-altering judgments.

These tools, presented as neutral and efficient, frequently reproduce racial bias, operate without transparency, and leave people with little recourse when harm occurs.

CRIL challenges and works to dismantle these harmful systems through litigation, policy advocacy, research, and collaborations that focus on the racial justice concerns at the intersection of technology and state power. We aim not only to stop technological harm, but to reimagine how technology can advance racial justice, institutional accountability, and community power.

Videos

Watch: How Algorithms Reinforce Racial Bias in Policing with Professor Vincent Southerland

Watch: How Can Artificial Intelligence Be Used for Good in the Criminal Legal System?

Technology and Racial Justice Collaborative 

In the summer of 2024, after nearly two years of intensive research and development, the Center officially launched the Technology & Racial Justice Collaborative (TRJC), a cooperative community working together to create a world beyond incarceration, surveillance, and state violence.

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using surveillance tools, predictive technologies, and automated decision-making systems that impose a disproportionate burden on communities historically impacted by systemic bias. To address and remedy the harms from an expanding arsenal of technology, this network brings together researchers, technologists, public interest lawyers, system stakeholders, and individuals directly impacted by the criminal legal system through a supportive research and action network. Read more about TRJC.

TRJC Quarterly Newsletter 

TRJC publishes a quarterly newsletter, providing a range of resources including legislative updates, feature articles, event updates, opportunities, campaigns, and publications from our partners. Read past issues of the newsletter.

Spotlight: December Newsletter Issue

TRJC Bill Tracker

TRJC’s Legislative Bill Tracker provides status updates about state and federal bills regulating law enforcement technology, surveillance, and privacy-related issues. We developed the tracker after listening to advocates across the country who asked for resources to help them track proposed and pending legislation related to police technology, surveillance, and data privacy.

TRJC Interactive Community Platform 

In February 2025, TRJC launched an interactive online portal to serve as a centralized clearinghouse for community engagement. We curate content, recruit users, and organize events to strengthen connections among advocates who rely on the bill tracker and related resources. This private member space offers additional resources and opportunities for users to share information, ask questions, participate in conversations, and build meaningful networks across the broader community focused on law enforcement technology, data privacy, and surveillance.

The Data Justice Act

The Data Justice Act aims to regulate the use of forensic and surveillance technologies in criminal legal systems to reduce racial bias and protect civil rights. Together, the report and model legislation articulate core principles grounded in a basic premise: personal data belongs to the individual, and the state’s use of such data must be narrow, lawful, transparent, and accountable. 

Data Justice Act 

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