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Advocacy for Principled Action in Government

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Advocacy for Principled Action in Government is an advocacy group that has previously criticized U.S privacy laws. As of 2025, no organization by its name appears in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) records of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, but has been mentioned in several open letters concerning legislation related to civil liberties. 1 2 3 4

According to an October 2024 statement released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Advocacy for Principled Action in Government was described as a policy analysis group that “offers expert policy analysis and recommendations to governmental leaders and other powerful actors to support the continuation and progressive evolution of key domestic and international law regulations.” 5

Background

Advocacy for Principled Action in Government is an advocacy group that has criticized U.S privacy laws. As of 2025, no organization by its name appears in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) records of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, but has been mentioned in several open letters opposing various bills and measures related to civil liberties. 1 2

According to an October 2024 statement released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Advocacy for Principled Action in Government was described as a policy analysis group that “offers expert policy analysis and recommendations to governmental leaders and other powerful actors to support the continuation and progressive evolution of key domestic and international law regulations.”  5 The same statement declared that the group’s focus areas support development into “existing and emerging technologies in such realms as surveillance, control, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, facial recognition, robotics, lethal autonomous weapons, and quantum computing.”  5

Activities

In March 2018, Advocacy for Principled Action in Government signed onto a letter to Congress organized by left-of-center digital-policy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and 22 other organizations opposing the proposed CLOUD Act. The groups described the Act as “a dangerous bill that would tear away global privacy protections by allowing police in the United States and abroad to grab cross-border data without following the privacy rules of where the data is stored.”  3 Other signatories included Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Amnesty International USA, Demand Progress Action, Human Rights Watch, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and People for the American Way. The Act was read twice by the Senate and was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary in February 2018. It was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of March 2018. 3  6  7

In June 2024, Advocacy for Principled Action in Government joined over 60 nonprofit organizations in opposing California Assembly Bill 1814, a state proposal that would have permitted local law enforcement to use facial recognition technology obtained using body-worn cameras in identifying criminal suspects. The bill did not advance through the California state legislature. 8 9 8 10

In February 2025, Advocacy for Principled Action in Government co-signed a letter to then-Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin Jr. to oppose alleged threats to prosecute individuals in the government attempting to halt the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the second Trump administration. 11

In July 2025, Advocacy for Principled Action in Government joined over 600 nonprofit organizations in signing an open letter in opposition to the House Homeland Security Committee and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). Prior to this, Sen. Hawley and the Committee sent letters to hundreds of nonprofits requesting funding information, focusing on anti-ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activities in Los Angeles as well as groups involved in settling migrants under the Biden administration. Three groups that were singled out included  the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), and the Union del Barrio (UD). The letter signed by the 600 nonprofits claimed the Committee was “using unchecked power to chill constitutionally protected activity, community activism, and voices those sending the letters may disagree with.” 4 12 13 14 15

References

  1. “Advocacy for Principled Action in Government.” Bloomberg. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1217232D:US?embedded-checkout=true.
  2. “Tax Exempt Organization Search – Advocacy for Principled Action in Government.” Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Accessed November 25, 2025. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/.
  3. Ruiz, David. “EFF and 23 Groups Tell Congress to Oppose the CLOUD Act.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, March 11, 2018. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/eff-and-x-groups-tell-congress-oppose-cloud-act.
  4. “MFLA Signs National Statement Condemning Congressional Overreach Targeting Nonprofits.” Muslim Legal Fund of America, July 15, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://mlfa.org/ngo-solidarity-letter-mlfa-signs-national-statement-condemning-congressional-overreach-targeting-nonprofits/. PDF: https://mlfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/07.15-Solidarity-with-Targeted-NonProfits-_1_.pdf.
  5. “Civil Society Joint Comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security.” Human Rights Watch, October 15, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/02/civil-society-joint-comments-bureau-industry-and-security.
  6. “All Actions: S.2383 – 115th Congress (2017-2018).” Congress.gov. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2383/all-actions.
  7. “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.” Govinfo.gov. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-115publ141/html/PLAW-115publ141.htm.
  8. “Organizations In Opposition to AB 1814.” ACLU California Action. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://aclucalaction.org/organizations-opposing-ab-1814/.
  9. “Bill Text: CA AB1814.” LegiScan, August 15, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1814/id/2880335.
  10. Cramer-Mowder, Becca. “Once again, California refused to endorse face surveillance. Now it’s time to ban it.” ACLU California Action, August 21, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://aclucalaction.org/2024/08/once-again-california-refused-to-endorse-face-surveillance-now-its-time-to-ban-it/.
  11. “Coalition Letter to U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. on Prosecution Threats Against DOGE Critics.” The Fire, February 4, 2025. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/coalition-letter-us-attorney-washington-dc-prosecution-threats-against-doge-critics.
  12. Wren, Adam; Burns, Dasha. “Playbook: Can the White House turn the page on Epstein?” POLITICO Playbook, July 16, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/07/16/can-the-white-house-turn-the-page-on-epstein-00455704. PDF: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000198-119d-d661-a7ff-f3fd82f50000.
  13. “Hawley Luanches Investigation into Organizations Bankrolling LA Riots.” Josh Hawley – Senate.gov, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-launches-investigation-into-organizations-bankrolling-la-riots/.
  14. Christenson, Josh. “House panel demands records of more than 200 NGOs that nabbed billions of taxpayer dollars to ‘fuel’ border crisis.” New York Post, June 10, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/house-panel-demands-records-of-over-200-ngos-that-nabbed-billions-of-taxpayer-dollars-to-fuel-border-crisis/.
  15. Hagstrom, Anders; Price, Stepheny. “Sen Josh Hawley expands probe into groups allegedly funding anti-ICE riots, threatens subpoenas.” Fox News, June 12, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sen-josh-hawley-expands-probe-groups-allegedly-funding-anti-ice-riots-threatens-subpoenas.
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