Blog

Facebook is working on a "privacy policy written for regular people." Giving users descriptions that they can actually understand is a great thing, and we're glad to see Facebook move in that direction. But, as we've pointed out with Facebook before, simpler isn't always better—and some parts of the proposed policy are pretty confusing anyhow. So we're glad that Facebook plans to make its new priv... Read More

Political protest and vigorous debate are vital elements of a healthy democracy and essential attributes of university communities in particular. A university is, after all, a community of ideas, and so universities should be especially welcoming of protest and dissent. For that reason, we found it shocking and disappointing when UC Berkeley responded to peaceful student protesters last fall with ... Read More

A few weeks ago, we all learned that the Justice Department had obtained an order demanding that Twitter turn over private information about several of its users in connection with the government's investigation of WikiLeaks.These demands only became public because Twitter, when it got the orders, apparently didn't just blindly comply, but took steps to get the order unsealed. Twitter was then abl... Read More

Today Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA 12th District) introduced the Do Not Track Me Online Act of 2011 (HR 654). This Act would provide much-needed privacy controls for Americans' online information and create a barrier against unwarranted surveillance.We are all learning, sharing, shopping, and connecting online. But the more we do online, the more personal information is being collected by co... Read More

By Suzanne ItoACLU National OfficeLate yesterday, a court unsealed three motions filed by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) last month on behalf of Birgitta Jonsdottir, the Icelandic parliamentarian whose Twitter account records were targeted by the government in connection with its investigation related to WikiLeaks.We filed these motions in late January, but because they were ini... Read More

By Suzanne ItoACLU National OfficeToday, a court unsealed three motions filed by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) last month on behalf of Birgitta Jonsdottir, the Icelandic parliamentarian whose Twitter account records were targeted by the government in connection with its investigation related to WikiLeaks.A public hearing on the motions is set for February 15 in Alexandria, Virg... Read More

With all their convenience, smartphones can also collect and share vast amounts of data that can paint a detailed picture about someone's life: your current location, where you have been, who you know, what you search for online, and more. Without strong privacy protections, smartphones and other mobile devices can pose a real threat to your privacy.The ACLU is working with companies and other org... Read More

Christopher CalabreseACLU Washington Legislative OfficeThe new model of Internet advertising scares the heck out of us. It's called behavioral targeting. What that amounts to, in a nutshell, is following you around the web from site to site recording your movements and using that record to sell you personalized ads. All those ads that pop up on the side of articles on your favorite websites like E... Read More

Documents Received August 18, 2011View DocumentsDocuments Received May 27, 2011View DocumentsBeaty v. FDA On February 2, 2011 death row prisoners from California, Arizona, and Tennessee filed suit against the FDA seeking to prohibit the FDA from allowing the importation or use of unapproved sodium thiopental.  Below are some of the court papers related to this case.Beaty v. FDA, court pa... Read More

In a case with chilling privacy implications, the California Supreme Court recently held that police officers can search the entire contents of a cell phone whenever they arrest someone, no matter how small the suspected crime or how relevant the cell phone contents might be. Why? Because it's just like a backpack, according to the Court, and previous cases have stated that backpacks can be search... Read More

ACLU And Others Publish Open Letter To Public Officials Addressing Proposed Legislation And CensorshipNEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of free speech organizations today sent an open letter to public officials cautioning against the prosecution of third party publishers for publishing leaked government documents and efforts to limit the rights of individuals to view th... Read More

Your online activities say a lot about you: what you like, where you go, and even who you know. And companies are often eager to collect this kind of detailed information about you. So we're pleased that the FTC has joined the chorus calling for companies and lawmakers to give us all greater control over our own personal information.One of the key elements of the FTC's proposal is a "do not track"... Read More