EEOC Ends Demographic Data Collection

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has moved to end demographic data collection after 60 years, according to a report from the Federal News Network, which receives over 88,000 worker complaints annually. This decision has been met with opposition from Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal, the sole Democrat on the EEOC, who voted against the proposal, stating that it would "kneecap" the agency's ability to protect workers. The EEOC's move raises concerns about data privacy, as organizations must balance the need to collect data with the need to protect individual rights, as discussed in articles about data privacy and security. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas argued that requiring companies to submit the annual demographic reports risks encouraging companies to justify discriminatory practices to diversify their workforce, and that it "may promote racial stereotyping at work, and it may encourage employers to engage in discrimination." The EEOC has historically used the data to guide its enforcement priorities and inform some of its investigations, with the data typically covering more than 50 million employees and 73,000 employers nationwide. The data has shown that white men dominate executive and senior manager roles at private companies, though women and minorities have made inroads, especially in the years following the #MeToo and Black Lives Matters movements, with women holding just 34.5% of executives and senior manager roles in 2023. This development comes as cities across the US are reevaluating their use of surveillance technologies, with 55 US cities rejecting Flock Safety cameras due to privacy concerns.

NewsAnarchist has tracked the same fault lines in its reporting on Missouri Prosecutor Ousted, 55 US Cities Reject Flock Safety Cameras, and DOJ Charges 11 In $1B Fraud Scheme.