Technology and Civil Liberties

The ACLU of Northern California safeguards civil liberties in the digital world. As technology advances, we make sure that protections for privacy and free speech aren’t left behind. We push back on digital censorship and government surveillance.

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

SB 1186 can restores CA's power to fight secret surveillance... Learn more

Privacy and Free Speech - It's Good for Business Graphic

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

A Smart Surveillance guide for communities. Download

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 »

Blog

President-Elect Trump Will Soon Have the Keys to the Surveillance State

November 21, 2016

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

On January 20, President Obama will hand Donald Trump the keys to the surveillance state. What can you do to protect against government spying? Read more »

News

ACLU Challenges California Ban on Ballot Selfies

November 1, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties, Voting Rights

The ACLU of California filed suit Monday against Secretary of State Alex Padilla challenging two statutes that prohibit voters from sharing ballot selfies. Read more

Case

ACLU Foundations of California v. Alex Padilla (Ballot Selfies)

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties, Voting Rights

The ACLU Foundations of California filed suit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla challenging two statutes that prohibit voters from sharing ballot selfies. The suit asks for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the state from enforcing the... Read more

Case

In re Ricardo P. (Electronic Search)

File Under :

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

This case arises from the decision by a California trial court to impose an expansive “electronics search condition” on a young probationer that required him to submit his electronic devices and online account passwords for a search as a condition... Read more

Article

Map of California, showing the proliferation of police surveillance technology

Dear Attorney General Kamala Harris, It's Time to Act on Surveillance Technology

File Under :

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

Dear Attorney General Harris: On your watch as California’s top cop, law enforcement agencies up and down the state have been secretly using social media surveillance software that has been marketed to monitor protests and activists of color. Read more

Blog

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Provided Data Access for a Surveillance Product Marketed to Target Activists of Color

October 11, 2016

File Under :

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

The ACLU of California has obtained records showing that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram provided user data access to Geofeedia, a developer of a social media monitoring product that we have seen marketed to law enforcement as a tool to monitor... Read more »

Events

Santa Cruz: ACLU Forum on Mass Surveillance

October 24, 2016 - 7:00pm

File Under :

Privacy and Government Surveillance, Technology and Civil Liberties

Spy drones, automated license plate readers, street corner cameras, cell phone trackers, call interception, and social media monitoring software are some of the many methods used today to monitor our daily movements and communications. Read more

Blog

Map of California, with dots marking the areas where local law enforcement has acquired social media monitoring software

Police Use of Social Media Surveillance Software is Escalating, and Activists are in the Digital Crosshairs

September 22, 2016

File Under :

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

It goes without saying that speaking out against police violence or government overreach shouldn’t land you in a surveillance database. But it can, and it does. The ACLU of California has received thousands of pages of public records revealing that... Read more »

Case

Hassell v. Bird (Yelp Free Speech)

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties

The CA Supreme Court has agreed to review a case that could have allowed people to censor online speech without even giving the website’s owner an opportunity to come to court to defend itself. Read more

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Technology and Civil Liberties

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

SB 1186 can restores CA's power to fight secret surveillance... Learn more

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

A Smart Surveillance guide for communities. Download

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

President-Elect Trump Will Soon Have the Keys to the Surveillance State

ACLU Challenges California Ban on Ballot Selfies

ACLU Foundations of California v. Alex Padilla (Ballot Selfies)

In re Ricardo P. (Electronic Search)

Dear Attorney General Kamala Harris, It's Time to Act on Surveillance Technology

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Provided Data Access for a Surveillance Product Marketed to Target Activists of Color

Santa Cruz: ACLU Forum on Mass Surveillance

Police Use of Social Media Surveillance Software is Escalating, and Activists are in the Digital Crosshairs

Hassell v. Bird (Yelp Free Speech)

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Technology and Civil Liberties

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

SB 1186 can restores CA's power to fight secret surveillance... Learn more

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

A Smart Surveillance guide for communities. Download

Pages

Immigrants' Rights