Jul 11, 2013
I received an email from AT&T today. Did you? It turns out that AT&T is revising its privacy policy to make it "easier to understand" and by the way, also to let us know that they want us to pay them with our money and our privacy, too. Unless we opt out, the company is going to start selling information about where we go, what we search for, what apps we use, and what we watch, to other businesses. On top of that, they want to send us advertisements based on our location, too.
Jul 03, 2013

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California this week was forced to file a lawsuit against Sacramento County officials after they failed to respond to requests for public documents. It's a case that underscores why it was so important that the state legislature last month backed off plans to weaken the California Public Records Act: the fact is that even with the law intact, it often takes going to great lengths to get access to information that should be readily available to the public.

Jul 03, 2013
This week, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued a terrific decision in our lawsuit against the FBI for records about surveillance of the Occupy movement. We hope that this decision will lead to the shining of some much-needed light on the FBI and its surveillance of political protest movements.
Jul 03, 2013
Earlier today, state law enforcement officials sent a letter to Google re-emphasizing the importance of transparency and user control. We're glad to see more voices joining the call. The letter expresses concern about Google's 2012 decision to merge data from all of its services into a single collection.
Jul 03, 2013
You may not be familiar with companies like Datalogix or Acxiom, but you can bet they're familiar with you. These companies and other "data brokers" operate behind the scenes, collecting and selling information about almost every American household including employment history, recent purchases, and more. But while these companies are happy to sell and share your personal information with other companies and even the government, they aren't so interested in being upfront with you. We've supported the California Right to Know Act to address this information disparity, and we are glad to hear that FTC Commissioner Julie Brill is joining the call for transparency by proposing a new campaign called "Reclaim Your Name."
For Immediate Release: Jul 03, 2013
Media Contact: press@aclunc.org, (415) 621-2493
Occupy Oakland protesters
Oakland city officials yesterday announced that the City Council had taken initial steps toward approving a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the National Lawyers Guild against the City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department (OPD) for use of excessive force against Occupy Oakland Protestors in October and November 2011.
For Immediate Release: Jul 03, 2013
Media Contact: press@aclunc.org, (415) 621-2493
ACLU of Northern CA
The California State Senate Wednesday passed the School Success and Opportunity Act (Assembly Bill 1266), sending the bill that ensures transgender students have the opportunity to succeed in school to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. Authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the bill passed the Senate with a 21-9 vote (unofficial). The bill passed the California State Assembly last month with a 46-25 vote. 


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