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.
Faced with Opposition from Wireless Industry, CA Legislators Make the Wrong Call
Apr 25, 2012
The good news is that SB 1434, the important California privacy law that would make sure that police get a warrant before getting access to sensitive location information, passing its first hurdle and is moving onto a full vote by the California Senate.The bad news is that several California legislators made the wrong call yesterday, selling out the privacy interests of Californians to the wireles...
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Wireless Industry Admits: "Working Day and Night" to Hand Over Your Location Info to Police
Apr 23, 2012
Wireless companies are opposing an important new mobile privacy bill in California (SB 1434) because they say they are too busy "working day and night to assist law enforcement," so it would be too much of a burden to tell their customers how often and why they are turning over location data to law enforcement.Every moment of every day, our mobile devices track our location, and our cell providers...
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Location Information: Time for a Privacy Check-In
Apr 23, 2012
Information about where you go is valuableLocation data from your cell phone or portable device can make it easy to get directions or locate the closest coffee shop. But that location data also says a lot about you – where you go, what you do, and who you know. And outdated privacy laws, written before GPS and other location-aware technologies even existed, mean that all this personal information ...
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Proposed Amendments to #CISPA Don't Protect Privacy
Apr 19, 2012
Yesterday, the House Intelligence Committee released proposed changes to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, also known as CISPA that, according to its sponsors, represent "huge progress" towards addressing the privacy and internet freedom community's concerns.But, many privacy advocates, including the ACLU, and groups including the Center for Democracy and Technology, Free ...
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ACLU-NC and Bay Guardian File New FOIA to Uncover Local U.S. Attorney Demands for Location Info
Apr 17, 2012
The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC) and San Francisco Bay Guardian (Bay Guardian) have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to try to uncover how United States Attorneys in the Northern District of California are seeking and accessing sensitive location data. (Read the FOIA request here)Location data from your cell phone or portable device can make it easy to get directions or l...
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Kicking off "Stop Cyber Spying Week"
Apr 16, 2012
The ACLU, along with several other groups, is launching a weeklong campaign called "Stop Cyber Spying Week" to draw attention to the massive civil liberties problems in H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, better known as CISPA. CISPA is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week.
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California Location Privacy Act of 2012
Apr 10, 2012
The California Location Privacy Act (SB 1434) authored by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and co-sponsored by the ACLU of California and the Electronic Frontier Foundation updates California privacy law to reflect the modern mobile world by providing needed protection against warrantless government access to a person's location information.Most Californians are now carrying tracking devi...
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Book and Video Sites: Who's Peeking Over Your Shoulder?
Apr 09, 2012
An Online Privacy Fact Sheet from the ACLUTHE MORE YOU READ & WATCH ONLINE, THE MORE DIGITAL FOOTPRINTSInformation about what you watch and read online is valuableOnline book and video sites are an amazing way to learn about anything and everything. But the videos you watch and the books you read can say a lot about your interests, hobbies, habits, and concerns. And outdated privacy laws, writ...
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Online Photo Sites: Are You Overexposed?
Apr 09, 2012
An Online Privacy Fact Sheet from the ACLU
The more photos you move online, the more digital footprints you leave behind.
The information in your online photos is valuable. Moving your photos from photo albums and computer hard drives to online photo services can be convenient. But the photos you upload to these sites—and what you do with them—can say a lot ab...
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Search Engines: Who's Searching for You?
Apr 09, 2012
An Online Privacy Fact Sheet from the ACLU
The more you search online, the more digital footprints you leave behind.
The information in your search records is valuable. Searching online is an amazing way to find information about anything and everything. But when you browse those online stacks of information, you leave a trail that reveals a lot about you: your interests,...
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Social Networking: Do You Know Who Your Friends Are?
Apr 09, 2012
An Online Privacy Fact Sheet from the ACLU
The more you connect online, the more digital footprints you leave behind.
The information you share on social networking sites is valuable. Social networking sites are an amazing way to connect with friends and family. But the information that these sites collect about you – not just what's on your profile but also the rec...
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Webmail: You're Writing - Who's Watching?
Apr 09, 2012
An Online Privacy Fact Sheet from the ACLU
The more email you send, the more digital footprints you leave behind.
The information in your email messages is valuable. Online email services make it easy to keep in touch with friends and family. But all those emails say a lot about your interests, habits, beliefs, and concerns. And outdated privacy laws, written before the I...
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