Archive

Today, 25 top A.I. researchers called on Amazon to stop selling facial recognition technology to law enforcement. In response, Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, released the following statement: This call by top A.I. experts adds a new and uniquely authoritative voice to the chorus of consumers, shareholders, policymakers, and civil right... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – Today the ACLU Foundation of Northern California (ACLU-NC) filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of Andreas Gal who, on November 29, 2018, was subjected to interrogation and retaliation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for questioning the unwarranted search of his electronic devices. T... Read More

I’ve worked for Silicon Valley companies for more than a decade and international travel is a necessary part of my job. I’ve had my fair share of delays and missed connections, but one thing I’ve never experienced while traveling in airports is fear. That changed last December when I returned from a business trip to Europe. Going through customs is usually routine for me. I signed up for the Gl... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, a judge authorized the release of all records of San Francisco police officers involved in shootings, killings and other serious misconduct, as legally required under SB 1421.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) had gone to court to thwart the San Francisco Police Officer’s Association’s efforts to defy the historic transparency bill by re... Read More

Last year, California lawmakers passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), a new law to strengthen consumer privacy protections. A few weeks ago, newly-elected Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks introduced AB 1760: Privacy for All, to add critical improvements to current law and ensure privacy is a right we can all exercise in California – and pave the way for other states to do the same –... Read More

SACRAMENTO – New polling released today shows that Californians from all walks of life and all parts of the state support legislation to strengthen consumer privacy protections. Across race, gender, party, and regional lines, 90% of likely California voters want to require companies to do more to protect their personal information. (Read the polling results.) “California voters clearly want inc... Read More

A judge ruled that California is violating the due-process rights of defendants who have been declared incompetent to stand trial by letting them languish for months in jail. State agencies must now reduce transfer delays. Read More

At a time when violence by white supremacists is on the rise, the FBI appears to be targeting Black people in a secret intelligence program concerning so-called “Black Identity Extremists”— an inflammatory term for a group that doesn’t even exist. The bureau’s practice echoes earlier, shameful government surveillance programs that sought to discredit civil rights and Black power activists who were... Read More

EUREKA — The ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP today filed a lawsuit against St. Joseph Health Northern California for denying care to a transgender patient. Filed on behalf of Oliver Knight, the suit argues that withholding medical care from a patient because he is transgender violates California’s Unru... Read More

After years of working to affirm my identity in a world where transgender people are questioned constantly about their decisions, I felt hopeful as I arrived for the surgery I had waited so long for. I was 27, and I would finally be closer to calling my body home. Since I was a kid, I’ve felt like my body didn’t match my soul. I felt uncomfortable in clothes. I felt disgusting when I showered. ... Read More