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

About Amazon's dangerous new facial recognition tech... Read more

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

A Smart Surveillance guide for communities. Download

Blog

Know Your Rights: Your Cell Phone Belongs to You, Not Your School

August 22, 2017

File Under :

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

There are some things you won't be able to avoid when the new school year starts up. Homework. Pop quizzes. Final exams. But one thing you shouldn’t have to do is let your school search your phone. Under California law, school officials cannot... Read more »

Know Your Rights: Student Cell Phone Privacy

Issues :

Education Equity, Privacy and Government Surveillance

The contents of your cell phone are protected by California law. You have a right to say no if a teacher asks to look through your phone. Know your rights. Read more

News

ACLU reta encarcelamientos de adolescentes inmigrantes por la administración Trump

August 11, 2017

File Under :

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

Read the English version » SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Abogados representado a niños inmigrantes y a sus familias demandaron hoy al Procurador General Jeff Sessions, la Oficina de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) y al... Read more

Blog

What's Wrong with Airport Face Recognition?

August 4, 2017

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched a “Traveler Verification Service” (TVS) that envisions applying face recognition to all airline passengers, including U.S. citizens, boarding flights exiting the United States. This system raises... Read more »

Article

Oakland residents at tonight's packed house committee meeting

ACLU Urges Oakland to Protect Civil Rights & Public Safety

File Under :

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

ACLU of Northern California organizer Tessa D'Arcangelew gave the following statement at tonight's meeting of the Oakland Public Safety Committee as it voted to disentangle Oakland and the Oakland Police Department from ICE's deportation machine and... Read more

Blog

If the Government Spied on You, How Would You Know?

June 21, 2017

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

We’re suing the Justice Department to disclose when the government tells people it electronically spied on them. Read more »

Blog

ICE agents standing in front of a home, knocking on the door.

ICE Using Powerful Stingray Surveillance Devices In Deportation Searches

May 23, 2017

File Under :

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

ICE obtained a warrant to track and locate the cell phone of an immigrant from El Salvador who the government believed to be removable from the country. This is the first evidence we’ve seen of ICE using a Stingray in a specific immigration... Read more »

Events

The Right to Protest: Social Conflict and Repression in the Americas

May 23, 2017 - 3:00pm

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Matt Cagle (ACLU of Northern CA) will be speaking in Buenos Aires about the impacts of technology-based surveillance on protestors and communities vulnerable to government discrimination. Read more

Article

Oakland's Surveillance Technology Ordinance Passes Out of Committee

File Under :

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

The Oakland City Council's Public Safety Committee has voted to move forward with Oakland's groundbreaking Surveillance Technology Ordinance. ACLU of Northern California organizer Tessa D'Arcangelew gave the following statement at tonight's meeting: Read more

Events

Protect Privacy, Resist Profiling: Malkia Cyril & Nicole Ozer

Oakland: Protect Privacy, Resist Profiling

May 9, 2017 - 6:30pm

File Under :

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

Join experts Nicole A. Ozer (ACLU of California) and Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice) for a conversation about digital rights and freedom in the Trump era. Read more