Archive

The ACLU has championed the fundamental rights of unions to organize – the rights of associational freedom and freedom of speech – since its inception more than 90 years ago, beginning with efforts to counter the vehement anti-union crusades of the 1920s.Laws that inhibit workers' First Amendment rights have no place in our democracy. Indeed, our democracy is reinvigorated by people across the nat... Read More

Facebook is working on a "privacy policy written for regular people." Giving users descriptions that they can actually understand is a great thing, and we're glad to see Facebook move in that direction. But, as we've pointed out with Facebook before, simpler isn't always better—and some parts of the proposed policy are pretty confusing anyhow. So we're glad that Facebook plans to make its new priv... Read More

The ACLU of Northern California and Amnesty International USA will urge the San Francisco Police Commission at its meeting tonight to prioritize implementation of a new crisis intervention program instead of acquiring Tasers. Both groups point to the Commission's recent adoption of the "Memphis Model" of crisis intervention training for the police force as a crucial step that should be fully imple... Read More

Political protest and vigorous debate are vital elements of a healthy democracy and essential attributes of university communities in particular. A university is, after all, a community of ideas, and so universities should be especially welcoming of protest and dissent. For that reason, we found it shocking and disappointing when UC Berkeley responded to peaceful student protesters last fall with ... Read More

A few weeks ago, we all learned that the Justice Department had obtained an order demanding that Twitter turn over private information about several of its users in connection with the government's investigation of WikiLeaks.These demands only became public because Twitter, when it got the orders, apparently didn't just blindly comply, but took steps to get the order unsealed. Twitter was then abl... Read More

Tenants will have the right to display political signs on any part of the premises of their rented homes or apartments if a bill, SB 337, introduced yesterday by Senator Christine Kehoe and backed by the ACLU passes in the California legislature and is signed by Governor Jerry Brown. Read More

In a letter to sheriffs, the ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC) called on sheriffs across California to cease costly and harmful practices that target immigrant communities. The call accompanies a report highlighting personal stories, cost data and proposals to protect public safety while reducing the fiscal and human costs of local enforcement practices that target immigrants. Read More

Today Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA 12th District) introduced the Do Not Track Me Online Act of 2011 (HR 654). This Act would provide much-needed privacy controls for Americans' online information and create a barrier against unwarranted surveillance.We are all learning, sharing, shopping, and connecting online. But the more we do online, the more personal information is being collected by co... Read More

By Suzanne ItoACLU National OfficeLate yesterday, a court unsealed three motions filed by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) last month on behalf of Birgitta Jonsdottir, the Icelandic parliamentarian whose Twitter account records were targeted by the government in connection with its investigation related to WikiLeaks.We filed these motions in late January, but because they were ini... Read More

Today, the ACLU of Northern California posted new records handed over by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on its global "secret mission" to acquire lethal injection drugs, as well as additional records provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These new records come to light as Federal Judge Jeremy Fogel tours San Quentin's new execution chamber, built a... Read More