Blog of Rights

Ateqah
Khaki

The Patriot Act, 10 Years Later

By Ateqah Khaki at 3:34pm

Our new infographic illustrates some of the most troubling aspects of the Patriot Act.

New Examples of Facebook Password Demands, Facebook's Response, and the Need for a New Law

By Ateqah Khaki at 3:29pm

Let your members of Congress know that you want a law that would protect your private social networking information!

Supreme Court Rules Government Violated Privacy Rights in GPS Tracking Case

By Ateqah Khaki at 12:29pm

The Court held 9-0 that the government violated the Fourth Amendment when it placed a GPS tracking device to Antoine Jones's car to track his movements for a month.

Domestic Drones: Big Brother's Prying Eyes in the Sky

By Ateqah Khaki at 1:10pm

"As technology advances, so does the government's surveillance powers. If we want to protect our privacy rights, the exercise of this power has to be subject to limits," writes ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer in The New York Times "Room for Debate" discussion about the use of drones domestically, and whether they pose a threat to privacy.

INFOGRAPHIC: Guantánamo by the Numbers

By Ateqah Khaki at 4:48pm

Our new infographic illustrates how, over the past decade, the prison camp has become a symbol of injustice, abuse and disregard for the rule of law.

Senate Rejects Amendment Banning Indefinite Detention

By Ateqah Khaki at 7:27pm

Today, the Senate voted 38-60 to reject an important amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have removed harmful provisions authorizing the U.S. military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians, including American citizens, anywhere in the world. The amendment offered by Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), would have replaced those provisions with a requirement for an orderly congressional review of detention power.

Tell Everyone: Dissent Is Patriotic

By Ateqah Khaki at 1:16pm

The First Amendment guarantees what some might consider the most fundamental freedoms that define our nation.

The ongoing Occupy Wall Street protest is spreading from the streets of New York to cities and towns all across America, and the right to protest and dissent is a key part of this important national conversation.

As long as the ACLU has existed, we've been defending the rights of demonstrators to speak their minds and assemble together. Because we believe dissent is a form of patriotism. We believe all people have the right to free speech and the freedom to stand up for what they believe in.

ACLU Releases New Report on Widespread Police Brutality in Puerto Rico

By Ateqah Khaki at 10:18am

The ACLU today released a report that finds the Puerto Rico Police Department -- the second-largest police department in the U.S. -- is plagued by a culture of unrestrained abuse and brutality. The use of excessive or lethal force is routine among the 17,000 officer-department. In recent years, civil and human rights violations have resulted in the unjustifiable loss of civilians’ lives, and severe and lasting injuries.

Seriously? Senate Considering Repeal of Anti-Torture Measures

By Ateqah Khaki at 11:16am

Yesterday, the ACLU and over 30 other organizations sent a letter to the Senate asking them to oppose an effort in Congress that threatens to revive the use of torture and other inhumane interrogation techniques. If passed, an amendment introduced by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) to the Defense Authorization bill would roll back torture prevention measures that Congress overwhelmingly approved in the 2005 McCain Anti-Torture Amendment, as well as a 2009 Executive Order on ensuring lawful interrogations. It would also require the administration to create a secret list of approved interrogation techniques in a classified annex to the existing interrogation field manual.

Status Update: Employers Asking For Your Facebook Password Violates Your Privacy and the Privacy of All Your Friends, Too

By Ateqah Khaki at 2:49pm

After the objections raised by the ACLU and others about this issue, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced that he is writing a federal bill to outlaw the practice.

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