Home : Privacy & Technology

U.S. Among World's Worst Surveillance Societies Total Information Awareness Lives A stunning new report indicates the NSA has effectively revived the Orwellian “Total Information Awareness” domestic-spying program that was banned by Congress in 2003.  In response, the ACLU has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more information about the spying.  And, we moved the Surveillance Clock one minute closer to midnight.  More. . .  917,000 terrorists poised to strike America? The ACLU has launched a new web feature – an “ACLU Watchlist Counter” to dramatize the absurd bloat in our nation’s terrorist watchlists, which now exceed 900,000 names, according to projections from the government’s own numbers. Many Americans have found themselves caught up by these lists at the airport, and some have had far worse happen to them. ACLU asks EU to investigate NSA Spying View letter in English or French. KEY RESOURCES > SWIFT > Data Mining > Fusion Centers > Combatting the Surveillance Industrial Complex > Surveillance > How Monopoly Control of the Internet Threatens Free Speech > Domestic Spy Satelites > Forensic DNA Databanks > Bigger Monsters, Weaker Chains > Real ID > 5 Reasons Not to Create a National ID Card > Science Under Siege > International Policy Laundering Project > Airline Security > Face-Recognition Technology > The Growth of an American Surveillance Society > Electronic Passports > Financial Privacy > What's Wrong With Public Video Surveillance? > The Cybercrime Treaty > Position statement on RFIDs > The FBI's Power to Rifle Through Your Records and Personal Belongings Without Telling You (PDF) > Through the Keyhole: Privacy in the Workplace, an Endangered Right > FAQ on the National Census > Other ACLU Documents on Privacy

ACLU Skeptical About Latest DHS Watch List Band-Aid (4/30/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed skepticism about the announcement yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of a new program intended to remedy the nation’s disastrous watch list system.

ACLU Testifies before Senate against Real ID (4/29/2008)
WASHINGTON – Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office testified today about the privacy and security concerns with creating a federal identity document every American will need in order to fly on commercial airlines, enter government buildings, or open a bank account. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia held an oversight hearing on the Real ID Act and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, examining the federal government’s capacity to implement the new identification systems.

Congress Expected to Pass Health Privacy Protections (4/24/2008)
WASHINGTON DC - After more than a decade of debates, hearings and votes, Congress is expected to pass legislation referred to as the first civil rights bill of the 21st century that is a critical step toward securing civil liberties in the emerging field of medical technology.

ACLU Applauds Boulder Valley School District's Decision To Limit Searches Of Students' Cell Phone Text Messages (4/21/2008)
A spokesperson for the ACLU of Colorado announced today that it welcomes a decision of the Boulder Valley School District ("BVSD") to limit searches of students' cell phone text messages, an issue the ACLU raised in a letter made public in October, 2007. In that letter, the ACLU asserted that non-consensual searches of text messages violate a Colorado criminal statute designed to protect the privacy of telephone and electronic communications.

ACLU of Maryland Launches Real ID, Real Exposed Campaign on College Campuses; Video Details Danger of Identity Theft (4/17/2008)
BALTIMORE - As part of a growing national movement in opposition to implementation of the federal Real ID Act by the states, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland has launched a campaign to educate young people and all Marylanders about why Real ID should be rejected. The "Real ID, Real Exposed" campaign features a video on YouTube, posters, postcards, website, and Myspace page designed to raise the profile of Real ID in Maryland and help organize the increasing number of people and organizations who oppose this misguided law.