Privacy

With the information revolution comes new questions about electronic records, surveillance, and the Internet. From using the telephone to seeking medical treatment to applying for a job or sending e-mail, Americans' right to information privacy is in peril.

The ACLU of Northern California fights the trend toward a surveillance society and works to guarantee that individuals, not governments or corporations, determine how and when others gain access to their personal information.

ACLU Urges Congress to Stop FISA Gutting Legislation
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union is mystified that the Senate Select Intelligence Committee would pass a FISA bill, drafted with heavy input from the Bush administration, which does not protect Americans from intrusive domestic spying and creates a path to immunity for telecommunications companies.
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ACLU Issues Report on the Proliferation of Video Surveillance Systems in California
California cities are moving quickly to install video surveillance cameras on public streets and plazas without regulations, with little or no public debate, and without an evaluation of their effectiveness. "Under the Watchful Eye," a new report issued by the California ACLU affiliates, examines the justifications for and consequences of this dramatic expansion in government video surveillance of public space at the local level.
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Phone Companies Gave Private Customer Data to Government Without Consent or Court Order
The ACLU has sued telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon to stop them from continuing to provide the National Security Agency (NSA) with the personal phone records of millions of California customers.
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Uncovering the Pentagon’s Secret Spy Files
News reports have revealed that the Pentagon collected information in a secret database on peace groups and law-abiding Americans who have attended anti-war protests. Today, the ACLU-NC is working to determine the extent of the spying on innocent Americans.
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