Archive

A few weeks ago, Alameda County Sheriff Ahern requested authorization from the Board of Supervisors to upgrade the county’s StingRay surveillance equipment. Today, the Board again postponed the decision in order to develop a use-policy. Read More

In response to the demands of a global coalition, Facebook announced changes on Oct. 30 to its user name policy designed to reduce abusive targeting and increase due process for users. Read More

Documents recently obtained by the ACLU of Northern California from the Department of Justice confirm concerns about the federal government’s use of StingRays – a highly intrusive cell phone surveillance device – and underscore the need for transparency. Read More

Read why more people are using adblockers - not just to avoid annoying commercials, but to guard against tracking and profiling. Read More

Last Thursday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which requires a warrant before California law enforcement can seize the contents or metadata of your communications, demand location records from your cell phone provider, or use a StingRay to gather information about your smartphone. Read More

SACRAMENTO--Today Gov. Brown vetoed SB 249 (Hueso), a measure to create “Enhanced” Drivers Licenses (EDLs) to be used as an additional border-crossing identification document available only to U.S. citizens. EDLs employ outdated technology that would put Californians' private information at risk and open the door to high-tech racial profiling and employment discrimination.  “It... Read More

Today, in a landmark victory for Californians’ digital privacy rights, Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA, SB 178) into law. The bill, jointly authored by Senators Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Joel Anderson (R-Alpine), updates the state's privacy laws for the digital age by protecting Californians against warrantless surveillance of their d... Read More

What’s in a name? If you ask Facebook, it’s the text on a driver’s license or a formal document like a utility bill or library card. Read More

If Gov. Brown fails to veto SB 249, the DMV will issue driver’s licenses enhanced with unencrypted computer chips that would make Californians' personal data vulnerable. Read More

UPDATE: The vote has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 13. TAKE ACTION - Ask your Alameda County Supervisor to vote NO!The Alameda County Sherriff has requested authorization from the Board of Supervisors to upgrade the county’s StingRay surveillance equipment.StingRays are a highly intrusive cell phone surveillance technology used by law enforcement to intercept information from a target cel... Read More