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Blog
We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. Behind every court ruling is a person. Behind every landmark law is a movement. Read the stories and hear the voices that ground our work.
ACLU-NC Urges Redding City Council Not To Write A Blank Check For Drone Testing
Apr 16, 2013
Tonight, the Redding City Council will consider whether to put the City on the path toward becoming a drone testing site. The ACLU of Northern California has urged the City Council not to approval the proposal at this juncture. (You can read our letter to the City Council here.) The proposal currently before the City Council is nothing more than a blank check. It offers the community no assurances...
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Rethinking Password Protection: Best Practices for Handling User Passwords
Apr 12, 2013
We often think of passwords as the "house keys" of the digital world, but there's more to that metaphor than you might realize. Home security is about designing good keys and good locks — and using them properly. It's about putting spare keys somewhere safe rather than under your doormat. It's about knowing that the lock and key guard the only way in. And it's about systems that sound the alarm wh...
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If Companies Support Transparency, Why are Their Industry Groups Lobbying Against It?
Apr 11, 2013
Tech companies like Facebook, Google and Microsoft publicly proclaim their support for user transparency. And data broker Acxiom has recently announced plans to let consumers see what data the company collects about them. So why are the industry groups that represent these companies lobbying against AB 1291, the California Right to Know Act, a bill to give consumers transparency about how their da...
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Knowing is Half the Battle: Demand to Know How Your Information is Collected and Shared
Apr 02, 2013
When you search online, shop, or use a mobile app, do you know what personal information is being collected about you and your family? Any idea just how much sensitive information about your location, health, finances, religion, sexual orientation, buying habits, and more is ending up in the hands of data brokers, online advertisers, applications, and other third parties? And how it is being used ...
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Justice Department Emails Show Feds Were Less Than "Explicit" with Judges on Cell Phone Tracking Tool
Mar 27, 2013
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 ...
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Is Google Play-ing with Your Personal Information?
Feb 19, 2013
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...
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Drones on the Radar
Feb 14, 2013
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...
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Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Romance, Too?
Feb 14, 2013
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...
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ACLU Guide: Tips for Companies on Protecting User Privacy and Free Speech in 2013
Feb 06, 2013
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...
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Are Government Agencies Keeping Your Data Safe?
Feb 05, 2013
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 ...
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New Facebook Search Means It's Time to Review Your Privacy Settings (Again)
Jan 15, 2013
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...
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All Eyes on Alameda County
Jan 03, 2013
In response to an ACLU of Northern California Public Records Act request, the California Emergency Management Agency, the state entity that administers federal homeland security grant funds, recently confirmed that the Alameda County Sheriff's Office is the only agency in the entire state of California to have applied for or obtained grant funding from Cal-EMA for a drone.While this doesn't mean t...
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