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.

CalECPA updates digital rights to keep up with modern world. Read More

A Smart Surveillance guide for communities. Download

Defend yourself against StingRay surveillance. Download

Federal lawsuit challenging DNA collection at arrest. Read More

Blog

Why Did the Government Search an Artist’s iPhone at the Border?

May 4, 2017

File Under :

Free Speech, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

In late February, Aaron Gach was returning to the United States from Brussels. An artist and activist, he had been abroad exhibiting works about mass incarceration, government control, and political dissent. In his pocket was a smartphone. During a... Read more »

News

A Victory for Digital Privacy: AB 165 Halted in California Assembly

April 14, 2017

File Under :

Education Equity, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Facing opposition from over 60 groups including the ACLU of California, AB 165 is dead, for now. The unnecessary, harmful bill would've exposed millions to invasive digital searches at California schools. Read more

News

Facebook symbols: friend requests, message alerts, and notifications

Facebook and Instagram Publicly Prohibit Surveillance of Users Following Coalition Demands

March 10, 2017

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Racial Justice, Technology and Civil Liberties

Facebook now clearly prohibits the use of company data for surveillance. These updates respond to demands from a coalition that includes the ACLU of California, the Center for Media Justice, and Color of Change. As a next step, the coalition is... Read more

Blog

Oppose AB 165! Bill Would Roll Back Hard-Fought Privacy Protections in CA Schools

March 7, 2017

File Under :

Education Equity, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

It’s essential for people to be able to communicate about issues that they care about. That’s why it's alarming that AB 165 has been introduced in the CA Legislature that would gut essential protections in public schools. Read more »

Events

Austin: Activism in the Era of Social Media Surveillance (SXSW Panel)

March 13, 2017 - 12:30pm

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Don't miss our panel at SXSW 2017. Police across the country have been secretly piggybacking on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to surveil protesters, particularly activists of color. In late 2016, the ACLU of California discovered... Read more

Blog

Police in riot gear, holding batons, on a California street

Help Wanted: How You Can Act Locally To Stymie Trump’s Agenda

February 15, 2017

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Racial Justice, Technology and Civil Liberties

Donald Trump told the American public, repeatedly, that upon taking office his policy agenda will include efforts to identify and immediately deport millions of undocumented immigrants , to track and surveil Muslims throughout the country, and to... Read more »

Blog

Trump Has the Keys to the Surveillance State, but CA has a Long History of Changing the Locks

January 19, 2017

File Under :

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

When Donald Trump takes the oath of office, he will inherit an unprecedented surveillance state that includes expansive powers and databases filled with information on millions of people. Read more »

Blog

man holds sign saying "Fascism is not our national policy yet"

Dissent is Patriotic. It’s also a Powerful Antidote to Propaganda - #ACLUTimeMachine

January 11, 2017

File Under :

Free Speech, Privacy and Government Surveillance

Fifty-five years ago this January, the ACLU of Northern California was busy filling orders from across the country for copies of its recently produced film, “Operation Correction.” The film was a response to a piece of Red Scare propaganda, “... Read more »

Blog

Dataminr protest social media surveillance demo

Twitter Cuts Off Fusion Spy Centers’ Access to Social Media Surveillance Tool

December 15, 2016

File Under :

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

As of this week, Twitter has made sure that federally funded fusion centers can no longer use a powerful social media monitoring tool to spy on users. After the ACLU of California discovered the domestic spy centers had access to these tools,... Read more »

Events

Sacramento: Conferencia y Día de Cabildeo 2017

April 1, 2017 - 7:30pm

File Under :

Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, Immigrants' Rights, Privacy and Government Surveillance, Racial Justice

Únete con cientos de activistas de la ACLU y líderes comunitarios en Sacramento para luchar por la justicia social en nuestras comunidades. Abril 1 - 3, 2017. Read more