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A recent ballot initiative asked San Franciscans to decide whether they want a citywide municipal WiFi network. Almost two thirds of the city voted yes on measure J, the Citywide Wireless & Internet Network initiative, but they are unlikely to get their wish any time soon. EarthLink, the internet service provider that had planned to partner with San Francisco to provide free and low cost Inter... Read More

In August we blogged about privacy problems on the social networking site, Facebook, and its plans to unveil a new targeted advertising system. The system is now up and running. It not only analyzes your activity on Facebook , but also monitors your other Internet activities and reports them back to your Facebook friends in the form of advertisements.Buy a big-ticket holiday present at Sony for yo... Read More

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request yesterday with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to learn the details of the government's use of cell phones as tracking devices. The request follows on the heels of revelations that federal officials are using Americans' cell phones to pinpoint their location, sometimes without any court oversight.On November 23, t... Read More

In response to pressure from privacy advocates and an online petition signed by 55,000 of its members, Facebook has made some changes to its invasive ad system that we blogged about yesterday.Facebook's new ad system silently collects information on the things you do on dozens of major websites and distills those action down into ads they show to your friends. Previously, these ads had appeared wi... Read More

Last week we blogged about the problems with Facebook's new "Beacon" web tracking and ad delivery system. We also discussed the insufficient changes Facebook has made to the system since its introduction.Controversy surrounding the intrusive Beacon program continues to grow. Over the past few days, several news outlets have reported that Facebook continues to receive web activity information from ... Read More

This past Thursday morning ACLU Legislative Director Caroline Fredrickson participated in an online chat on Firedoglake about the ongoing FISA fight and upcoming Senate floor debate.

The discussion includes a list of phone numbers of the senators who need to hear from their constituents.

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The ACLU of Northern California has filed a friend-of–the-court brief in support of neither party in Fair Housing Council v. Roommate.com, a case raising important anti-discrimination and internet free speech concerns.An expanded eleven-member (en banc) panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral argument in the case tomorrow in Pasadena.The ACLU of Northern California's brief argues th... Read More

The American Civil Liberties Union today released a new report outlining serious concerns about new institutions called "fusion centers," which have been created in over 40 states around the nation.California is home to seven fusion centers, including two in San Francisco and two in Sacramento.Fusion centers vary widely, but generally are centers intended to improve the sharing of anti-terror... Read More

Over 40 new Fusion Centers have been established across the country. California is home to several of these. located in Los Angeles, Norwalk, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. Anti-Terrorism Information Center(Component of the California Department of Justice)Attorney General's Office California Department of JusticeAttn: Public Inquiry UnitP.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244... Read More

The Napa Valley Unified School District Board approved a settlement on Dec. 14 between the school district and five Napa families, represented by the ACLU of Northern California, who challenged the "Appropriate Attire Policy" at Redwood Middle School. The settlement recognizes students' constitutional rights to freedom of expression.At the center of the case was Toni Kay Scott, 14, who was discipl... Read More