Privacy and Government Surveillance

Privacy is guaranteed under the California Constitution – including the right to be free from unwarranted government surveillance. Individuals, not the government or corporations, should determine how and when other people can access our personal information.

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ACLU Business Guide: How Companies Can Protect Privacy and Free... Read More

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Blog

After the Facebook Privacy Debacle, It’s Time for Clear Steps to Protect Users

March 23, 2018

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

We learned last weekend that a trove of personal information from 50 million people — one in three U.S. Facebook users — was harvested for an influence and propaganda operation led by Cambridge Analytica, a company later used by the Trump campaign... Read more »

Case

People waiting in line for security screening at an airport

ACLU Foundation of Northern California v. TSA (Electronic Searches)

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on March 12, 2018 demanding government documents about Transportation Security Administration (TSA) searches of electronic devices... Read more

News

A crowd of people wait in line for security screening at an airport.

ACLU of Northern California Lawsuit Demands Information on TSA Searches of Domestic Airline Passengers’ Digital Devices

March 12, 2018

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

The federal government’s policies on searching the phones, laptops, and tablets of domestic air passengers remain shrouded in secrecy. Read more

Events

Austin: Fighting Government Device Searches at the Border

March 12, 2018 - 9:30am

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Immigrants' Rights, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

ACLU at SXSW 2018 The ACLU is headed back to South by Southwest Interactive, an annual technology conference for entrepreneurs, policy advocates, and others in the tech community. This year we will be presenting on the federal government’s... Read more

Blog

Facial-Recognition—A Powerful Tool for Authoritarian Surveillance

March 6, 2018

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Companies developing facial-recognition software need to consider how their products enable dragnet surveillance, discriminatory enforcement, and abuse. Read more »

Blog

Alameda Rejects Surveillance Deal with Company Tied to ICE

February 7, 2018

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Immigrants' Rights, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Last night, the Bay Area city of Alameda unanimously rejected a proposed $500,000 contract to purchase license plate reader technology from Vigilant, a company that recently sold ICE access to its nationwide database. This is a win for the rights of... Read more »

News

ACLU Wins Transparency for Government Surveillance Policies

January 18, 2018

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Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

The ACLU of Northern California prevailed in court today in a suit under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) seeking the Department of Justice’s policies related to the use of location tracking surveillance technology in criminal investigations. Read more

Article

¿Ha buscado el gobierno su dispositivo electrónico?

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

La ACLU de California quiere saber de usted si el gobierno ha registrado o confiscado su dispositivo en cualquier aeropuerto o cruce fronterizo internacional en California. Read more

Article

Have Customs or TSA Officials Searched or Confiscated Your Phone, Laptop, or Tablet?

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Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

The ACLU of California wants to hear from you if the government has searched or confiscated your device at any domestic or international airport or international border crossing in California. Read more

Blog