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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 of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More

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 And outdated privacy laws, written before GPS and other location-aware technologies even existed, mean that all this personal information ... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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 ... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More
Internet data
Blog

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. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

Maryland Legislature to Employers: Hands Off Facebook Passwords

Apr 09, 2012
By Allie BohmACLU National OfficeThe state of Maryland just passed the first bill in the nation that bans employers from asking for the social media passwords of job applicants and employees. In a statement that the ACLU of Maryland issued about the bill's passage, Melissa Goemann, Legislative Director of ACLU of Maryland, said, "We are proud of Maryland for standing up for the online privacy of e... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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,... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
Blog

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... Read More