Blog

A Justice Department document obtained by the ACLU of Northern California shows that federal investigators were routinely using a sophisticated cell phone tracking tool known as a "stingray," but hiding that fact from federal magistrate judges when asking for permission to do so.Stingrays and similar devices essentially impersonate cell phone towers, allowing them to pinpoint the precise location ... Read More

Read the ACLU's analysis of the Prop 8 oral argument today.Today the LGBT rights world was a flurry of activity, with Facebook feeds full of red for marriage equality and people the country over intently focused on what was happening inside the U.S. Supreme Court.Sometimes the oral arguments in a case are like tea leaves that make it relatively easy to predict an outcome. But today's Supreme Court... Read More

This week a federal judge ordered a bond hearing for a woman who has been detained without due process by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly a year and a half. Bertha Mejia, a grandmother with deep family ties in California and with no violent criminal history, was classified by ICE as a "mandatory detainee" because of misdemeanor convictions for stealing groceries. That cla... Read More

When it comes to drugs, we should focus on the goals we agree on: protecting our kids, protecting public safety and preventing and treating drug abuse and addiction.That's why the ACLU of California is supporting legislation authored by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) to reform California's harsh drug possession penalties, so that we can help set people up for success rather than failure in overc... Read More

Did you know that Google Play, the company's app store for Android users, sends sensitive information to app developers every time you purchase an app? News reports have recently revealed that Google sends your name, email addresses, city and ZIP Code to the app developer each time you buy an app – but you wouldn't know that from reading the company's privacy policy or the policy for its payment s... Read More

These days, more and more people turn to the Internet to find true love – and in the process share some of their most personal information with companies looking to act as matchmakers. And while the ACLU may not help you find your soulmate on Valentine's Day, the latest edition of Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Business, our guide for companies, can help online dating services and other co... Read More

In the months since Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern made known his desire to acquire and deploy a surveillance drone, the ACLU has consistently warned that such a plan carries serious privacy implications, that it is imperative the advertised benefits of a drone be weighed against the costs and that strict privacy safeguards be put into place to ensure that drones are not used for warrantless... Read More

Last year was jam-packed with stories of companies making costly mistakes on user privacy and free speech. To help companies get a fresh start in 2013, the ACLU of California has just released the new edition of Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Business. This primer (and companion website) is a practical, how-to guide illustrating how businesses can build privacy and free speech protectio... Read More

Bertha Mejia is a 53-year-old grandmother who fled political violence and sexual abuse in her native El Salvador as a girl. She has four U.S. citizen children and is the primary caretaker for her 9-year-old grandson, Pablo. The victim of rape at the hands of her employer, Ms. Mejia has a strong case for a "U-visa," a type of visa for victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement. The police ... Read More

No one wants something as valuable as their credit card numbers to fall into the wrong hands. That's why we limit private uses of this type of personal data. But what about government agencies that hold some of your most vulnerable, confidential information? We need to ensure that safeguards against unauthorized access to your data are in place, especially given the increasing amounts of personal ... Read More

The ACLU filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court this afternoon to stop the government from invading the genetic privacy of hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. The case, Maryland v. King, involves the question of whether the police can take DNA from everybody they arrest, without a search warrant or any reason to think that the DNA sample will be helpful in solving a crime. We argue tha... Read More

This morning's media event was Facebook's announcement of "Graph Search," a new tool to find content and data on Facebook that could wind up making information about you far easier your friends or just about anyone else to find. Graph Search allows you to search Facebook for specific people, places, or content – for example, "friend of friends who live in New York and like sushi" or "restaurants l... Read More