Archive

Today the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California released the results of a test revealing that Amazon’s facial surveillance product Rekognition falsely matched 28 current members of Congress with images in an arrest photo database. In the ACLU’s test, legislators from both parties, from states across the country, were falsely matched. Congressional members of color we... Read More

In a test the ACLU recently conducted of Amazon's facial recognition tool, called “Rekognition,” the software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress, identifying them as other people who have been arrested for a crime. The false matches were disproportionately of people of color. Read More

SACRAMENTO – California voting rights organizations today praised the California Motor Voter program for dramatically increasing statewide voter registration. The joint effort between the Secretary of State and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) processed nearly 800,000 voter registration transactions at the DMV from late April through June and ensures voter registration will be convenient and vot... Read More

Scooter companies Spin, Bird, and Lime are racing to gather your personal data, and have failed to take the time and steps necessary to properly address rider privacy. Read More

The Disability Rights California (DRC) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California sued Secretary of State Alex Padilla for failing to provide voter registration services for low-income Californians and Californians with disabilities. The lawsuit demands that California comply with state and federal laws that require public assistance offices and state-funded progra... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today, Disability Rights California (DRC) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California sued Secretary of State Alex Padilla for failing to provide voter registration services for low-income Californians and Californians with disabilities. DRC and the ACLU argue that Secretary Padilla has failed to designate state and local offices that serve more than 7 ... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, a federal judge blocked the City of Sacramento's anti-panhandling ordinance. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the Legal Services of Northern California issued the following response: Today’s ruling is a resounding victory for free speech and fairness, and is the first in California to make clear that the government can’t arbitrarily enact anti-panhandling ordin... Read More

In April 2018, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Legal Services of Northern California filed suit in federal district court against the City of Sacramento to halt enforcement of an unconstitutional "anti-solicitation" ordinance adopted by the Sacramento City Council. The suit was filed on behalf of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, the Sacramento Homeless Org... Read More

WASHINGTON — Microsoft today called for federal action and committed to company steps to address the civil rights threats of face recognition technology. This comes after the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as community groups, employees, and consumers, raised grave concerns about face recognition technology, particularly in the hands of government. Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU legislative... Read More

NEW YORK — American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director David Cole issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court: Brett Kavanaugh may bring the requisite experience, but given Donald Trump’s promise to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision that recognized the right to an abortion, and efforts to reverse progress on civil rights ... Read More