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.
Journalist/Blogger Josh Wolf Out of Jail
Apr 04, 2007
ACLU of Northern California wrote an amicus brief on Josh Wolf's behalf in both the District Court and Ninth Circuit, contesting the government's argument that a journalist cannot invoke a First Amendment privilege when presented with a grand jury subpoena.
Click here for more information and to read the court documents.
San Francisco Chronicle article
New Yo...
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How Did That Billboard Recognize Me?
Apr 03, 2007
Remember in the movie, Minority Report, when the characters walked by a billboard and it changed to target the advertisement to that particular person or walked into a store and over the loudspeaker, it welcomed them and asked how they liked those pair of pants that had been purchased? That future is starting to become a reality with the use of RFID tags in products and not without serious privac...
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ACLU Victorious in Defense of Online Free Speech
Mar 23, 2007
We won ACLU v. Gonzales, our longstanding challenge to stop a law that would suppress constitutionally protected speech on the Internet!
Information about the case is available here.
Press Release: Court Rules that Government May Not Censor the Internet
New York – A federal district court today ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union's long...
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Perata Calls On Governor To Address California's Concerns With REAL ID Act
Mar 22, 2007
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) also thinks Real ID is a real problem.
In a press release issued today, Perata says:
"Proposed federal regulations offer little to California on issues like cost, schedule, privacy, or new computer system requirements," Perata said. "This is one of the most egregious examples of an unfunded mandate, where the federal governm...
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Look Before You Log On
Mar 21, 2007
The ACLU of Northern California has been very active in highlighting the need for privacy and free speech safeguards in municipal wireless programs. Cities should not be deploying wireless networks that track who we are, what we are looking at, and where we are looking at it from. Once that information is collected, who knows where it will end up or how it will be used or abused?
But ...
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Google Changes their Security Practices
Mar 14, 2007
Google To Anonymize.
Google will begin removing one fourth to half of each IP address after 18 months to 2 years to anonymize user data.
The government has been asking ISPs to hold data for a year or more. Read more about it here and here.
My question is how long Google was actually keeping data before and is this new policy really a privacy enhancing move or...
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Released DHS Regulations on Real ID Fatally Flawed: ACLU Calls for True Protections for Californians
Mar 02, 2007
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, today, called on lawmakers to push for a major overhaul of the Real ID Act, calling it a "real nightmare" for Californians. The Department of Homeland Security's recently proposed delay for implementing the act would do nothing to prevent a national identity card system that violates personal privacy and increases identity theft, all while...
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BlackHat Presenters Threatened with Patent Suit for Exposing RFID Vulnerabilities
Feb 27, 2007
HID Global Corporation has threatened to sue IO Active, a computer security company based in Seattle, with patent infringement if it gives its planned presentation at the BlackHat Convention this Wednesday, February 28, 2007, in Washington D.C. The presentation discusses vulnerabilities of HID RFID cards and demonstrates a handheld RFID cloner developed by the company to highlight these vulnerabil...
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Montana House Joins Maine
Feb 01, 2007
On Wednesday, January 31, the Montana House passed an anti-REAL ID bill on a vote of 99-1. The bill is expected to head to the Senate next week. The text of the bill can be found here.
A number of other states, including Georgia, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming are also considering opting out of REAL ID, placing conditions on their participation in...
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Maine Becomes First State to Reject Flawed Real ID Act
Jan 30, 2007
Real ID Act and RFID
The ACLU of Northern California has been calling on California legislators to take a stand to protect the privacy, personal safety, and financial security of Californians by asking hard questions about both the Real ID Act and the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in government-issued identification documents.
Real ID Act
...
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Video Surveillance Should Not Have Been Expanded
Jan 18, 2007
The San Francisco Police Commission may not approve surveillance cameras unless it finds that the potential for deterrence outweighs community concerns. The San Francisco Police Commission approved 25 new surveillance cameras around the city despite the fact that there was no evidence for the potential for deterrence and dozens of people came to the Police Commission meeting to voice their opposit...
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Privacy in the News
Jan 11, 2007
Privacy is definitely back on the National agenda. In case you missed some of these stories, here is a little run-down on recent activities in Washington.House Passes 9/11 Bill With Privacy Provisions. 27B Stroke 6.Privacy To Be Tone for New Senate Judiciary Committee. 27B Stroke 6.Dem's Privacy Changes in 9/11 Bill Challenge Administration. 27B Stroke 6.Senators pledge scrutiny of federal data mi...
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