ACLU-NC Action Alerts

Conference and Lobby Day

March 6, 2010 PST

Join the ACLU of Northern California for our 2010 Conference and Lobby Day, March 6 - 8 in downtown Sacramento!

Participants will mingle with ACLU staff and meet fellow social justice and civil liberties enthusiasts. All who are interested in becoming active participants in the struggle for freedom and justice are welcome to attend. The Conference and Lobby Day are free of charge, but space is limited. Register today!

Event - Party Like it's 1986!

February 24, 2010 PST

In 1986 the Bangles were all the rage, Donkey Kong was a hot video game, mobile phones were bigger than your head, and the World Wide Web didn't even exist. A lot has changed since then - but not electronic privacy law.

Come party with us, learn the latest about the Demand your dotRights campaign, and learn how we can work together to demand a privacy upgrade to match our modern online world.

Party is 21+

ACLU Tells Fresno City College That Anti-Gay Preaching By Health Professor Doesn't Fly

February 8, 2010 PST

SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Fresno City College today demanding that the school ensure that all its health science classes teach unbiased and medically accurate information. According to students at the college, lectures by Professor Dr. Bradley Lopez, who teaches an introductory health class, often present religiously-based and anti-gay views as "science" or "fact."

Patriot Act: Here We Go Again

February 5, 2010 PST

Votes on re-authorizing key parts of the Patriot Act will happen in Congress any day now. Take action and stop fear-mongering and scare tactics from blocking genuine Patriot Act reforms.

Government Backdoors Letting in the Wrong People?

February 4, 2010 PST

In a potential Great Leap Forward for the "Surveillance-Industrial Complex,"Google is working on partnering with the NSA. Probably the two biggest collectors of personal communications data in the world teaming up? Details are scarce, but the very concept brings to mind the phrase "marriage made in hell." At a time when some are pushing to increase law enforcement access to Americans' communications, policymakers need to take a hard look at these systems.

Resources For Parents and Community Members about Sex Education in California

February 4, 2010 PST

A comprehensive list of sex-ed resources available from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California online.

Party Like It's 1986!

February 1, 2010 PST

Join us at our ACLU dotRights 80s party. We’ll have a DJ spinning 80s tunes, retro video games, and a “time machine” hair and makeup station to finish off your perfect look! 

In re E.J., S.P., J.S., K.T., et al on Habeas Corpus

February 1, 2010 PST

Can the state retroactively enforce Proposition 83's residency restrictions against sex offenders who committed their offenses before the law went into effect? In November 2006, California passed Proposition 83, which made it unlawful for a registered sex offender to live within 2000 feet of a school or a park. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation decided to start enforcing the law against anybody with a sex offense on his or her record who was in prison for any reason on or after the day the law passed. In October 2007, the Prison Law Office filed a petition in the California Supreme Court asking the court to declare that the residency restrictions in their entirety were unconstitutional. The ACLU-NC filed an amicus brief in support of the petition, arguing that the department is improperly applying the residency restrictions to people who committed their offenses before the law took effect.

People v. Milligan

February 1, 2010 PST

This case brings to light some of the ACLU-NC’s concerns about a state law that makes it unlawful for a registered sex offender to live within 2,000 feet of a school or park. We argue that by applying the law to people who committed their crimes before the law went into effect, the state of California is advancing an overbroad interpretation that violates the state Constitution and the intent of the voters.

Don't Keep Your Head in the Clouds: Demand Protection for the Data You Store in the Cloud

January 27, 2010 PST

In this blog post we’re going to focus on the privacy implications of cloud computing services and why it is so important that you know how and when cloud providers share your personal information with third parties.

The FTC Explores the “App-Gap”

January 27, 2010 PST

On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will be in California for the second of its "Exploring Privacy" roundtables. Please join the ACLU-NC in demanding to know more about how and when companies disclose your personal information!

The FTC's “Watershed Moment In Privacy”—Don't Let Your Privacy Wash Away

January 26, 2010 PST

ACTION - Keep Roe v. Wade alive. It's up to us.

January 25, 2010 PST

While pundits and politicians debate the future of health care reform, the stakes are as high for women and girls. Speaker Pelosi needs to hear from us about keeping abortion restrictions out of legislation on health insurance. She needs to know that we don't want health care reform to become another assault on reproductive freedom.

Darensburg v. MTC

January 25, 2010 PST

On November 23, 2009, the ACLU-NC and civil rights allies filed an amicus brief in Darensburg v. Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Plaintiffs argued that MTC, the planning body for all twenty-six independent transit operators in the Bay Area, consistently under-funded AC Transit, a bus line with high minority ridership, in comparison to other transit systems like BART, with lower minority ridership.

Over 12,000 Object to California's Execution Plan

January 21, 2010 PST

Over 12,000 individuals, from California and across the country, have submitted comments objecting to the new execution plan recently released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The revised plan, released for public comment on January 4, 2010, is part of the CDCR’s efforts to kick-start executions which have been on hold in California for four years.

In Through the Law Enforcement Backdoor?

January 14, 2010 PST

Computerworld is reporting that the hacking attack on Google (which prompted it to tell the Chinese government it would no longer censor on its behalf) exploited a system the company set up to help the government access its users' data.

The Hard Numbers Behind Laptop Searches at the Border

January 14, 2010 PST

Back in July 2008, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a new policy (PDF) regarding searches of documents and electronic devices at the border. CBP asserts it has the right to conduct these searches of any traveler — citizens and noncitizen alike "absent individualized suspicion," — meaning no suspicion of wrongdoing is even required to conduct a search. Today we released the first batch of information we got back from the CBP.

Is Privacy on Facebook So Last Decade?

January 12, 2010 PST

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed privacy in an interview last Friday. Did he declare the end of privacy on Facebook?

Take Action! Tell CDCR What You Think About Lethal Injection

January 11, 2010 PST

Government Should Protect Civil Liberties While Protecting Safety

January 7, 2010 PST

On January 5, President Obama addressed airport security in remarks responding to the Christmas Day attack on a plane headed for Detroit.

ACLU-NC Action Alerts

Conference and Lobby Day

Event - Party Like it's 1986!

ACLU Tells Fresno City College That Anti-Gay Preaching By Health Professor Doesn't Fly

Patriot Act: Here We Go Again

Government Backdoors Letting in the Wrong People?

Resources For Parents and Community Members about Sex Education in California

Party Like It's 1986!

In re E.J., S.P., J.S., K.T., et al on Habeas Corpus

People v. Milligan

Don't Keep Your Head in the Clouds: Demand Protection for the Data You Store in the Cloud

The FTC Explores the &#8220;App-Gap&#8221;

The FTC's &#8220;Watershed Moment In Privacy&#8221;&#8212;Don't Let Your Privacy Wash Away

ACTION - Keep Roe v. Wade alive. It's up to us.

Darensburg v. MTC

Over 12,000 Object to California's Execution Plan

In Through the Law Enforcement Backdoor?

The Hard Numbers Behind Laptop Searches at the Border

Is Privacy on Facebook So Last Decade?

Take Action! Tell CDCR What You Think About Lethal Injection

Government Should Protect Civil Liberties While Protecting Safety

The FTC Explores the “App-Gap”

The FTC's “Watershed Moment In Privacy”—Don't Let Your Privacy Wash Away