College students across Arizona received text messages from the Harris campaign, raising questions about student privacy and possible violations of federal law.
On Sunday, Arizona State University Republicans social media To share a text message that many students on campus likely received. The message, signed by Kamala Harris, encouraged students to register to vote.
“Tim Walz and I are the underdogs in this election,” the message from Harris, who has been vice president for nearly four years, said. “We need your support to win.”
“Your vote is your voice and your power,” the message continued, according to the screenshot. “Don't let anyone take away your power.”
ASU's CR seemed outraged by the text, claiming it could amount to “election interference.” It also pointed out that Harris' team had access to student information that was supposed to be “confidential.”
republican state senator jake hoffman He similarly raised concerns about potential violations of the law and accused Harris of “exploitation.”[ing] used students' personal data to benefit her campaign.
“It is illegal for political campaigns to have access to personally identifiable information (PII) of public college students in Arizona,” Hoffman continued. “This is a serious security breach!”
Mr. Hoffman then said, “A complete [state] The Senate will immediately conduct an investigation. ”
“Under federal law, directory information is not considered private unless the student chooses not to make it public.”
The law in question is called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (better known as FERPA), and it specifically regulates the information a student's family is entitled to after the student becomes a legal adult. are.
So far, all three Arizona schools affected (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona) have said that unless a student intentionally chooses to “withhold” the information, that information is It is a matter of public record, and Ms. Harris' campaign did not violate FERPA in accessing it.
Below are the statements submitted by these schools. new york post:
A representative from ASU said:
Contact information for registered students (including cell phone numbers) is a matter of public record. This is not ASU policy. Under FERPA, this is considered “directory information” along with other basic information such as a student's major, dates of attendance, and enrollment status. This publicly available contact information is commonly requested by organizations that want to advertise to ASU students, from apartment complexes to credit cards to political candidates.
“We receive these types of requests many times throughout the year, and requesters must pay for the data they request,” an NAU spokesperson wrote in an email.
A UA spokesperson added:
Organizations can request directory information through the University of Arizona Archives Office. Under federal law, directory information is not considered private unless the student chooses not to make it public. Students may make this election at any time through the online student portal.
A UA spokesperson also denied that the Harris campaign was the party requesting the information. The Post noted that such “directory information” may have been provided to third parties.
In response to social media chatter about possible FERPA violations, Democratic strategists said: tony crab I became mean.
“I know Arizona Republicans are pretty behind the curve when it comes to modern campaigning, but I know that text messages like this asking students to register to vote are 1) election interference and 2) somehow illegal. “We cannot let their ignorance excuse the absolute lie that there is a violation,” he wrote.
Kani also suggested that Republicans may simply be laying the groundwork for the next election. “Instead of trying to reach potential voters themselves, the Trump world is playing the victim, so if they lose, they can spread conspiracy theories claiming the election was stolen,” he said. added.
ASU College Republicans did not respond to requests for comment from Blaze News.
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