May 01, 2008
In response to a letter from the ACLU of Northern California, the Linden Unified School District will not read private text messages stored on students' cell phones unless there is good reason to believe that the search will show that a law or school rule was violated. The District's new policy also limits the scope of the search to the alleged infraction leading to the seizure of a cell phone.
Apr 23, 2008

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 24, the Sacramento Library Board will be debating its internet use policy, which directs library staff to ask Internet users to "end a search or change a screen" if the content they are viewing is deemed to interfere with the "a safe, welcoming and comfortable environment."

The effect is like allowing one library patron to snatch a book out of another person's hands just because they do not approve of the subject matter.

If you live or work in Sacramento, p lease attend the meeting.

Apr 22, 2008

Is the federal government gearing up to spy on Internet users who visit .gov websites? That was one of the concerns at a hearing on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) cybersecurity program called "EINSTEIN".

Apr 16, 2008
In response to a March 3, 2007, letter from the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the Linden Unified School District has agreed not to read private text messages stored on students’ cell phones unless there is good reason to believe that the search will provide evidence that the student was violating the law or breaking a school rule. The district’s new policy also limits the scope of the search to the alleged infraction leading to the seizure of the cell phone.
Apr 10, 2008

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is holding a hearing on internet freedom and net neutrality in Palo Alto next Thursday, April 17. With the future of the internet at stake, it is absolutely critical that those who support freedom of expression show up in force.

Your comments in person will send a strong message to Washington that Americans will not tolerate private corporate Internet gatekeepers. Agency officials at the FCC — and political leaders in Congress — must take immediate action to safeguard free speech and innovation online.

Apr 03, 2008
Two Southern California fair housing organizations sued Roomate.com, an Internet-based roommate matching service, arguing that the website must be held responsible for postings on the site that violate federal fair housing laws. Roommate.com argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from liability for content posted by third parties, gives it complete immunity from suit. After agreeing to have the case re-heard en banc, the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion that holds housing websites accountable for their own actions that violate the fair housing laws but sustains the important free speech protections of section 230 by holding that housing websites may not be held liable for the discriminatory comments of users of the site. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a friend of the court brief urging the court to carefully separate content and conduct by Roommate.com from that of the individuals who use its service.
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