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U.S. Among World's Worst Surveillance Societies London-based ACLU partner Privacy International (PI) has issued its most recent ranking of the world's leading surveillance societies. By examining national policies in 14 categories such as constitutional protection, privacy enforcement, and workplace monitoring, PI has ranked nations on a scale from "consistently upholds human right standards" to "endemic surveillance societies." The United States ranked with Russia, China and the U.K. at the bottom among the worst surveillance societies. Map: The World's Leading Surveillance Societies

Liberty in the Age of Technology

Stunning New Report on Domestic NSA Dragnet Spying Confirms ACLU Surveillance Warnings (03/12/2008)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union responded today to a stunning new report that the NSA has effectively revived the Orwellian "Total Information Awareness" domestic-spying program that was banned by Congress in 2003. In response, the ACLU said that it was filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more information about the spying. And, the group announced that it was moving its "Surveillance Clock" one minute closer to midnight.

MCLU Blasts Sen. Susan Collins for Pandering to the Bush Administration and Selling Mainers’ Privacy Down the River (02/29/2008)
Portland, ME – The Maine Civil Liberties Union condemned a letter sent by Senator Susan Collins today that attempts to pressure Governor John Baldacci into complying with the federal Real ID Act against the will of the people and legislature of Maine.

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."

Use of Government Surveillance Cameras Expands in California Without Regulations or Public Debate, Says ACLU Report (08/20/2007)
SAN FRANCISCO -- California cities are moving quickly to install video surveillance cameras on public streets and plazas without regulations, with little or no public debate, and without an evaluation of their effectiveness, according to an American Civil Liberties Union report released today.

NYCLU Says New York City’s “Ring of Steel” Surveillance Plan Raises Privacy Concerns (07/09/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today called on city officials to ensure that any new surveillance plan for New York City is subject to public input and external oversight mechanisms and includes significant privacy protections to prevent abuse.

Even Bigger, Even Weaker: The Emerging Surveillance Society: Where Are We Now? (09/17/2007)
An Update to the ACLU Report, Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains

New Matrix Documents Raise Troubling Questions (05/20/2004)
White Paper: New Documents Obtained by ACLU Raise Troubling Questions About Matrix Program

'No-Fly' List Risk (07/01/2003)

Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society (01/15/2003)

ACLU v. NSA - ACLU Appeal Brief (11/13/2006)

E.U. Agreement With U.S. on Sharing Passenger Data -- Finding of Adequacy (04/25/2006)

Memorandum of Understanding Between the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security (04/25/2006)

ACLU CDC Freedom of Information Act Request (04/21/2006)
ACLU CDC Freedom of Information Act Request

Petition for Review in ACLU v. FCC (12/01/2005)

ACLU FOIA Request regarding the NSA's Total Information Awareness program (03/12/2008)

ACLU Letter to Senate Strongly Urging Opposition to S. 2389, THE "PROTECTING CONSUMER PHONE RECORDS ACT" (09/27/2006)

ACLU Comments on the Proposed CDC Information-Collection regulations (04/21/2006)
ACLU Comments on the Proposed CDC Information-Collection regulations

ACLU Letter to Attorney General Gonzales Requesting the Appointment of Outside Special Counsel for the Investigation and Prosecution of Violations, or Conspiracy to Violate, Criminal Laws Against Warrantless Wiretapping of American Persons (12/21/2005)

Statement of Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program, on RFID Tags Before the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (07/14/2004)

Surveillance Society Clock: Graphics You Can Use (09/17/2007)
ACLU graphics you can use on the Web, in e-mail, wherever you can to help get the word out about the crisis of surveillance in America.

ACLU Comments to the FCC on AT&T-BellSouth Merger Calling for Investigation of NSA Data-Sharing Allegations (06/06/2006)

CDC Information Gathering & Quarantine Proposals: Links and Resources (04/25/2006)
A secret deal has been revealed between the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control to share airline passenger data -- a deal that violates agreements that DHS has signed with the E.U. and possibly other foreign governments. This deal raises questions about the government's apparent inability to respect privacy restrictions, as well as its habitual drive to operate in secrecy.

Organizations and People Supporting the NSA Lawsuit (04/20/2006)

News in the Illegal Domestic Spying Cases (01/31/2006)

Why a Surveillance Society Clock? (09/04/2007)

Fact Sheet: Why BellSouth Stockholders Should Be Cautious (07/21/2006)
Considerations for BellSouth shareholders with regard to the AT&T merger and the NSA spying controversy

Secure Flight compared to CAPPS II (03/29/2005)
Chart and graphic comparing Secure Flight to its predecessor CAPPS II

The MATRIX: Data Mining Moves Into the States (10/30/2003)
Now the same ideas that inspired TIA have reappeared in an alarming new program that has been dubbed The Matrix ("Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange"). Run by a private corporation on behalf of a cooperative network of state governments, The Matrix, which is already up and running, is a "data surveillance" program every bit as dangerous and Orwellian as Total Information Awareness.

Q&A On Face-Recognition (09/02/2003)