Archive

The outcome in the lawsuit Hepting v. AT&T, being heard today by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will be important to the various challenges to illegal spying of Americans. I'm attending the hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. today, after which I will provide a reaction to what occurred inside the room. (ETA 8/16/07: Read my reaction here.) Background on the Signific... Read More

Twenty-three high school-aged young people from northern California spent eight days in the summer of 2007 investigating a civil liberties topic of their choice: the myths and truths of military recruitment and military service. The result is an empathic, impassioned, evocative series of essays, poems, photographs and drawings titled “The Truth Behind the Camouflage.” The young people, who were... Read More

This report explains in detail the joint assessment the ACLU of California on government-funded video surveillance cameras and the current state of video surveillance in California. Read More

Today, two additional victims of the United States government’s unlawful “extraordinary rendition” program joined a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc., a subsidiary of Boeing Company. The ACLU charges in its amended complaint that Jeppesen knowingly provided direct flight services to the CIA enabling the clandestine transportation of Bisher al-Raw... Read More

ReportsUnder the Watchful Eye: The Proliferation of Video Surveillance Systems in California (Full Report)Under the Watchful Eye, a report issued by the California ACLU affiliates, examines the justifications for and consequences of the dramatic expansion in government video surveillance of public space at the local level. This report explains in detail the joint assessment of the three California... Read More

EarthLink announces halt on new municipal wireless build-outs- San Francisco plan may be delayed. Read More

Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the failure of an amendment offered to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would have authorized $300 million of federal funding for states to implement the Real ID driver's license program, which has been estimated by DHS to cost $23.1 billion. The ACLU deemed the proposal "sucker money" because it aimed ... Read More

The privacy and security concerns associated with the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is in the news again. A new article about RFID and privacy and security issues was written this week by the Associated Press. Chips: High Tech Aids or Tracking Tools? The ACLU of Northern California is working on four landmark privacy bills on RFID technology- SB 28, 29, 30, and 31. ... Read More

Want to know why the new San Francisco municipal wireless contract needs to include privacy and free speech protections? Read Make free wi-fi truly free, the opinion piece written by Kurt Opsahl, from EFF, and me, about the San Francisco wireless contract. It was published in today's San Francisco Chronicle. For a copy of the joint letter submitted by ACLU of Northern Cal... Read More

Download the Summer 2007 ACLU-NC Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More