Blog of Rights

Rekha
Arulanantham

This Week in Civil Liberties (11/18/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:56pm

Guess who’s stalking you on the Internet?

Who is suing the Oakland Police Department to end violence against Occupy Oakland protesters?

Which amendment could the Stop Online Privacy Act impede?

Which presidential candidate thinks the ACLU is effectively running the CIA?

In which state does an anti-immigrant law put small businesses at risk?

The Social Network is Stalking You
A new web feature by USA Today details the ways Facebook stalks you around the Internet — even when you’re not logged in. Facebook’s tracking methods — in the guise of the innocent seeming “Like” button — record every web site its 800 million-plus members have visited during the previous 90 days, even if you never click on that button, or don’t have a Facebook account.

This Week in Civil Liberties (11/10/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 9:04pm

To whom did the ACLU write to ask that they stop tracking cell phone users and storing their data?

Which police department is refusing to hand over public information on its use of force against Occupy protesters?

In which state are parents concerned that their kids are being racially profiled in school because of an anti-immigrant law?

How many prisoners are held in the torturous conditions of solitary confinement in the U.S.?

This Week in Civil Liberties (11/4/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:16pm

Which constitutional amendment did the Oakland Police Department need to be reminded of this month?

What special interest group capitalizes on our nation’s addiction to incarceration to the tune of billions of dollars in annual revenues?

How many people stand to have their sentences reduced beginning this week as a result of the reduction in the racially biased crack-cocaine sentencing disparity?

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/28/11)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 6:29pm

In which states did ACLU lawsuits put a halt to suspicionless, mandatory drug testing?

Which Senators are working to show that the Patriot Act has a secret interpretation that violates the rights of American citizens?

What can be done to protect immigration detainees vulnerable to being sexually abused while in detention?

Victories in Florida and Missouri: No Illegal Drug Testing
On Monday we got some great news in Florida: following an ACLU lawsuit, the state will no longer be allowed to make people applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) take a drug test in order to get the assistance they need. And in Missouri on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled a policy at Linn State Technical College that would have mandated students pass a drug test as a condition of enrollment is clearly unconstitutional.

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/21/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:53pm

Who said the police don't need a warrant to demand cell phone location records of innocent citizens not even suspected of crime?

When was the last time Congress updated electronic privacy law?

Who violated the NAACP's right to free speech?

Which department is still discriminating against homosexual service members despite the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

What bill will ensure that citizens will not be treated as criminals based on their racial or ethnic heritage?

ECPA: Online Privacy Stuck in the '80s

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 3:09pm

While technology has advanced at breakneck speed, electronic privacy law remained at a standstill. Tell Congress to update ECPA!

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/14/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 6:04pm

In what state has an anti-immigrant law sent immigrants fleeing?

Which County Sheriff is running for cover after the ACLU exposed brutal conditions in his jail?

Which legislative body voted this week to allow hospitals to refuse emergency abortion care to women dying of pregnancy complications?

What can you get in exchange for giving up your privacy (and some urine)?

What new ACLU interactive tracks the legacy of the Patriot Act?

This Week in Civil Liberties (10/7/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:38pm

What school, abiding by the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, removed a student for refusing to counsel LGBT clients?

Who assaulted one of his students for wearing an LGBT t-shirt?

What list can you get on, but not off?

In which state is a law preventing kids from going to school, sick people from going to the hospital and victims from reporting crimes to the police?

What should the police have to do before attaching a GPS to your car?

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/30/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 7:23pm

Which police department will stop wrongfully arresting people for misdemeanor marijuana possession charges after coercing or tricking them into revealing small amounts of pot they had concealed in their pockets or bags?

Where did a public school principal illegally try to convert students to Christianity during a mandatory assembly?

What is your mobile carrier’s data retention policy?

What is NYCLU doing at #OccupyWallStreet?

This Week in Civil Liberties (9/23/2011)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 5:10pm

In memory of Troy Davis, what can you do to keep fighting for the innocent on death row?

What did Ceara Sturgis’ principal try to force her to wear for her yearbook picture?

What organizations are allowed to discriminate when hiring for government-funded jobs?

Who told the Senate not to let history repeat itself regarding indefinite detainment?

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