Archive

SAN FRANCISCO — The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Goodwin Procter LLP today filed a lawsuit against ICE transportation contractor G4S Secure Solutions on behalf of four women in ICE custody who were shackled by their hands and feet, then forced to ride in a boiling, windowless van for hours with no food, water, medication or toilet access. The suit is seeking damages for the women’... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate Appropriations Committee refused to advance SB 561, a bill that would allow Californians to hold tech companies accountable for privacy violations. SB 561 is authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, at the request of Attorney General Becerra, and supported by consumer and privacy advocates. “The legislature just put Big Tech before Californians by killi... Read More

In July 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit demanding records related to the treatment of immigrants detained by ICE, particularly transportation by contractor G4S Secure Solutions. In regions throughout the country, ICE subcontracts with G4S to transport immigrants in its custody. The private contractor ha... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance, a historic law that brings accountability and oversight to surveillance technology and makes San Francisco the first city in the United States to prohibit government use of face surveillance systems.  The law was authored by Supervisor Aaron Peskin. In response to today’s vote, the coali... Read More

The information that you share with a company should not be repurposed or sold without your consent. But companies are building algorithms from massive repositories of personal information, collected from people who are not told about how the company will use their information. A recent report revealed a troubling example of this invasive practice. A Silicon Valley-based company called Ever app... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the San Francisco Rules Committee unanimously voted to advance the Stop Secret Surveillance ordinance, a bill that requires that there be public notice, clear use policies, and a vote by the Board of Supervisors before a city department can acquire surveillance technology. The ordinance also prevents city departments from using face surveillance technology. The ordinance ... Read More

Download the Spring 2019 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate Public Safety Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 230 with substantial amendments, including an amendment requiring that SB 230’s passage be contingent on the passage of AB 392: The California Act to Save Lives. AB 392 was introduced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) to change California’s use of force standard from the “reasonable” standard... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Assembly Privacy Committee will hear only consumer privacy bills promoted by tech companies to weaken the California Consumer Privacy Act. This comes after AB 1760, a bill to strengthen privacy protections authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and sponsored by civil rights organizations and digital privacy advocates was pulled when committee members would not to... Read More

Approximately 34,000 immigrants are held in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s (ICE) facilities on a daily basis, with roughly 500 to 600 of these immigrants held in northern California detention facilities. These detainees are not serving criminal sentences. They are being held in civil detention as they try to obtain legal counsel or represent themselves, fighting to stay in t... Read More