Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Seeking legal counsel for a Know-Your-Rights mobile app for immigrants
We seek to educate and mobilize the immigrant community and allies with our know-your-rights app, and we want to ensure we’re doing our part to protect our community users and ourselves.
Posted April 29, 2020
Background & Context
The app will be a resource that teaches scenario-based Know-Your-Rights information, provides access to a local rapid response hotline, alerts of verified ICE reports, and opportunities to connect with local advocacy organizations.
In creating an app, we want to underscore that we are not reinventing the wheel. Instead, we want to take this opportunity to consolidate and translate existing information, uplift the work of immigrant advocacy organizations in Los Angeles (including ours), and highlight legal resources that are currently scattered across different organizations.
Immediate Problem
We need to know what legal risks are associated with creating an app that provides immigration-related information both to users and ourselves. Our organization’s lawyers are well-equipped to interpret immigration law, but we need help navigating laws regarding data privacy of our users, circulating notifications of ICE raids, and other potential federal issues.
Work & Deliverables
Ideally, a volunteer lawyer would help us figure out the following:
- Risk assessment of presenting know-your-rights info in a mobile app form. This information is commonly found on websites and PDFs online. Is there any additional risk in presenting the information on an app? (worst case scenario: what federal laws, if any, could an authority or outside group claim we are violating?)
- What privacy issues do we need to consider with a mobile app and what practices do we need to be in compliance? Especially in California with respect to new consumer privacy laws. (ex. privacy notices, disclaimers, etc.)
- What features of the app present the most risk to the organization?
- Generally, other issue spotting. If a volunteer can help us spot other issues not mentioned here, that would be so helpful.
Preparation Phase
- No advance prep necessary.
Collaboration Phase
- Introduction call with us to get to know our project, scope of the project, and define timelines.
- Have check-in calls as needed for both volunteer and organization to ask and answer questions
Wrap Up
- Discuss the final memo and inquire about any recommended next steps
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
CHIRLA is a California leader with national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA's mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants. Programs: For more than 30 years, CHIRLA's innovative programming in community education, community organizing, civic engagement, legal services, policy and advocacy, and leadership development for youth has served the immigrant communities of the Los Angeles region. Our principle of direct leadership and participation from immigrant communities has resulted in meaningful advocacy for economic justice, policy victories for immigrant worker rights, and a mobilized constituency prepared to advocate on its own behalf. CHIRLA is a registered 501 (c) 3 non profit and donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
CHIRLA is a California leader with national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA's mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants. Programs: For more than 30 years, CHIRLA's innovative programming in community education, community organizing, civic engagement, legal services, policy and advocacy, and leadership development for youth has served the immigrant communities of the Los Angeles region. Our principle of direct leadership and participation from immigrant communities has resulted in meaningful advocacy for economic justice, policy victories for immigrant worker rights, and a mobilized constituency prepared to advocate on its own behalf. CHIRLA is a registered 501 (c) 3 non profit and donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.