Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Internship

San Francisco, California

The ACLU of Northern California has internships available for graduate and law students to work in the area of technology and civil liberties.

The ACLU of Northern California is an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of civil liberties. The ACLU uses a combination of litigation, negotiation, lobbying, and grassroots organizing to achieve its goals. More information is available at www.aclunc.org/tech.

Position:

The intern will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology and civil liberties issues- working in the San Francisco office of the ACLU of Northern California.

The intern will conduct legal and policy research; help draft reports, analyses, articles and testimony; and brief the ACLU staff on a variety of technology issues. Topics may include online privacy, RFID technology, biometrics, data mining, new surveillance technologies, and other similar threats to privacy as well as free expression and the Internet. More information about current projects is available on www.aclunc.org/tech.

The intern will also play an important role in the ACLU-NC’s dynamic new online privacy campaign, Demand your dotRights (www.dotrights.org). The campaign works to encourage consumers, policymakers, and businesses to push for new privacy protections that match our modern online world. We are increasingly learning, sharing, shopping and connecting online but the more we do online, the more search and chat histories, photos, and friends lists we leave behind. Once this personal information is collected, outdated privacy laws are not adequately protecting it from being accessed and misused by the government and third parties.

The intern will have the opportunity to participate in staff meetings and work with other interns in the San Francisco office. She or he will likely attend meetings and events throughout the Bay Area with the Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Director.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in law school or a graduate program in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Science, Public Policy, Political Science, Journalism, or a related field.
• Excellent writing and communication skills and attention to detail.
• Strong interest in the intersection of civil liberties and new technology, particularly privacy and free speech.
• Energy, enthusiasm, creativity.

Supervision:

The Technology and Civil Liberties Intern will work directly with, and be supervised by, the Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Director. The intern will also interact with staff in the San Francisco office, the legislative staff in the Sacramento office, and the National ACLU Technology and Liberty Project staff in Washington, D.C.

Time:

During the school year, internships may be from two to five days per week.  For summer internships, full-time applicants are preferred, but part-time and “split” summers may also be available. 

Pay/Credit:

During the school year, most students work for credit only. For summer internships, students are encouraged to seek grants and work study through their law school if available.

How to Apply:

Students should email one copy of their cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample, and list of three references to dotrights@aclunc.org. In the subject line, please write, “Technology and Civil Liberties Internship.”

Application Deadline:

Applicants are encouraged to submit information as early as possible as decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applications must be RECEIVED by the final date of the submission period.

Fall Semester:                 March 31 – July 5

Spring Semester:            September 1 – November 29

Summer:                          November 30 – January 17

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California is an affirmative action employer. All interested individuals, including people of color, women, persons with disabilities and persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex are particularly urged to apply.