Home : Privacy & Technology

ACLU Report: Government Must Abandon Misguided Approach to Pandemic Preparedness (01/14/2008)
WASHINGTON – As fears of a flu pandemic have grown, the Bush administration has pursued a misguided approach to pandemic preparation that relies on a law enforcement/national security approach, rather than a public health approach to the problem, and which exposes Americans to unnecessary risk. That is the finding of an expert report being released today by the American Civil Liberties Union at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

MCLU Blasts New REAL ID Regulations (01/11/2008)
Portland – The Maine Civil Liberties Union condemns the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, issued by the Department of Homeland Security today. The REAL ID Act passed in 2005. In January of 2007, the Maine State Legislature was the first in the country to reject the REAL ID, passing a resolution calling for its repeal. An Act To Prohibit Maine from Participating in a National Identification Card System was subsequently passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor John Baldacci. Sixteen other states have followed Maine’s lead in rejecting the REAL ID.*

ACLU ISSUES ALARM ABOUT MIDDLETOWN PLAN TO ELECTRONICALLY MONITOR SCHOOL CHILDREN (01/07/2008)
Claiming that the program raises “enormous privacy and safety concerns,” the RI ACLU has called on Middletown school officials to halt a planned pilot program in which elementary school children will be tagged with electronic chips to monitor their whereabouts. The program, using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, will track the movements of Aquidneck Elementary School students who take school district buses by placing RFID chips on the children’s backpacks.

ACLU Says Enhanced Driver’s Licenses Are Insecure, Fail to Protect Personal Information (12/12/2007)
PHOENIX -- Citing serious privacy concerns with the state’s proposal to “enhance” Arizona driver’s licenses with tiny computer chips that collect personal information, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today urged state lawmakers to protect Arizona residents from identity fraud and reject efforts to introduce new driver’s licenses with controversial radio frequency identification technology.

New “Fusion Centers” Must Be Open, Carefully Monitored and Subject to Restraints, ACLU Says In New Report (12/12/2007)
WASHINGTON – New institutions now emerging in American life – “fusion centers” – are raising many questions about privacy and government openness and must be carefully bounded and monitored to ensure that they remain a legitimate and effective law enforcement tool, according to a new report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union.

University’s Absolute Ban on Videotaping Without Permission is Unconstitutional, Says ACLU of Michigan (11/27/2007)
DETROIT – In a letter sent to Central Michigan University (CMU), the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan urged its president to recognize the right of individuals to videotape public figures in public places on the campus.

Terrorist Watch List Attacked for Size, Ineffectiveness, House committee grills government directors on unwieldy watch list (11/08/2007)
Washington, DC – The House Homeland Security Committee grilled government officials today about the government’s terrorist watch list, asking the same question the American Civil Liberties Union has been posing for years: Why is the list so enormous? The list has ballooned to 860,000 people and continues to grow.

New York Senate Hearings Highlight Need to Reverse Course on Real ID (10/31/2007)
NEW YORK – In response to today’s New York Senate hearing on “Protecting Our State’s Security,” which will include a discussion on Governor Eliot Spitzer’s recent decision to submit to the Real ID Act, the following can be attributed to Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union: “Governor Spitzer should reverse course and reject the implementation of the Real ID Act in New York State. The state Senate should pass Res. No. J2096, which is an anti-Real ID Act resolution currently co-sponsored by 22 senators.

ACLU Answers Congress’ Question ‘Can SBI Succeed?’: No (10/24/2007)
Washington, DC – Congress asked today in a committee hearing appropriately called "The Future of Border Security: Can SBINet succeed?" and the American Civil Liberties Union has a definitive answer: No. Even Department of Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff himself has admitted the program has problems, calling it "unsatisfactory."

House Panel Considers Secure IDs, and ACLU Asks ‘What About Privacy?’ (10/18/2007)
WASHINGTON – A subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing today on secure identification technology, and the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to consider the privacy implications before rushing to embrace new technology. Since 9/11, some Members of Congress have proposed the government mandate identity documents for everyone, including citizens. Congress has passed sound-good legislation without fully considering their impact on Americans’ privacy. The government’s troubled, still behind-schedule Real ID program, which 17 states have rejected, and the notoriously delayed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, are only two examples of the government’s problems getting identity security off the ground.

New Airport Body Scanners Troubling to ACLU Privacy Expert (10/11/2007)
The following is a statement from Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Program. WASHINGTON -- The Active Millimeter Wave body scanners that Homeland Security has announced raise troubling questions about passenger privacy and ultimately their utility as a security measure.