The Electronic Privacy Information Center calls on USDA to withdraw proposed national SNAP database
The Electronic Privacy Information Center says a revised plan for a central database of SNAP applicants and recipients still raises legal and privacy concerns.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to withdraw its revised proposal for a National SNAP Information Database.
The proposed database would bring together personal information about applicants and recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from across the United States.
EPIC submitted comments on 15 July 2026 arguing that the revised proposal still does not meet requirements under the Privacy Act and the Food and Nutrition Act.
According to EPIC, the department has not shown that a centralised database is necessary for a lawful agency purpose. The organisation also raised concerns about broad disclosures of data to law enforcement and other government bodies.
EPIC said the proposal lacks clear limits on how long information would be retained. It also argued that the database could amount to a federal data-matching programme without meeting the relevant legal requirements.
The revised notice followed hundreds of public comments on an earlier proposal. EPIC said the changes were limited and called on the department to end plans to consolidate sensitive information about SNAP applicants and recipients in a single federal system.
