Home : Privacy & Technology : Surveillance & Wiretapping

Government is Illegally Using Evidence from Secret Court Wiretaps in Criminal Cases, ACLU Charges (09/19/2003)
PORTLAND, OR -The government is using its expanded wiretap powers under the PATRIOT Act to bypass the Fourth Amendment in criminal cases involving United States citizens, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a friend-of-the-court brief filed here today.

In Landmark Ruling, Washington Supreme Court Says Police Need Warrant for Surveillance with Global Tracking Devices (09/11/2003)
OLYMPIA, WA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today hailed a unanimous, first-in-the-nation ruling by the Washington Supreme Court that police must obtain a warrant in order to track an individual's movements with Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The ruling agrees with arguments the ACLU submitted in a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

Three Cities Offer Latest Proof That Face Recognition Doesn't Work, ACLU Says (09/02/2003)
NEW YORK- The American Civil Liberties Union today made public a confidential report showing the failure of face-recognition technology at Boston's Logan Airport, saying that the report as well as evidence from two other cities confirms that the technology does not work well enough to be an effective security tool.

ACLU of Virginia Seeks Information on Virginia Beach's Facial Recognition Technology System (09/02/2003)
RICHMOND, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the City of Virginia Beach seeking detailed information on the use of facial recognition technology at the oceanfront resort.

ACLU, Conservatives, Civil Rights Groups Agree: CAPPS II Raises Serious Privacy and Security Concerns (08/25/2003)
WASHINGTON - At a forum entitled ""CAPPS II: Passenger Screening and Privacy Concerns,"" hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union, prominent conservatives and the Washington head of the NAACP today warned Congress about potential threats to privacy and civil rights under the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) now infamous Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System (CAPPS II) airport spying system.

Remarks by Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office - "America, Land of the Watched:CAPPS II and the Dangers of Unchecked Surveillance" (08/25/2003)

ACLU Welcomes Privacy Legislation Aimed at Limiting Government Access to Databases Containing Our Most Private Information (07/29/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined with a diverse coalition of organizations in welcoming the introduction of legislation aimed at limiting data mining by government agencies. The ""Citizens' Protection in Federal Databases Act of 2003,"" introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), seeks to protect privacy for all Americans by holding the government responsible for access to private and public databases.

ACLU Applauds Major Victory For Privacy Rights In Fight Against Spy Program Formerly Known As Total Information Awareness (07/18/2003)
WASHINGTON - In response to yesterday's unanimous vote in the Senate to deny funding for the domestic cyber-surveillance system previously known as "Total Information Awareness," the American Civil Liberties Union today called on Congress to stand up to President Bush to block the Pentagon's program that would indiscriminately track the daily activities of Americans and falsely identify thousands of innocent citizens as potential terrorists.

Pentagon Releases Report on Cyber-Surveillance System's Privacy Threat; Right-Left Groups Urge Continued Oversight (05/20/2003)
WASHINGTON - Responding to the release today of a Pentagon report on the threat to privacy rights and potential ineffectiveness of the broadly maligned Total Information Awareness cyber-surveillance system, the American Civil Liberties Union and other concerned groups from across the political spectrum said that Congress must continue its vigorous oversight of new government spying powers and technologies.

New ACLU Report Specifies Questions Needing Answers About Total Information Awareness Cyber-Surveillance System (05/16/2003)
WASHINGTON - In anticipation of the impending deadline for the Pentagon's required report to Congress on its Total Information Awareness (TIA) super-surveillance system, the American Civil Liberties Union today released its own report posing a series of questions that need to be answered before Congress can make an informed decision on whether to continue funding the hi-tech spy program.

ACLU Calls on House to Reject Expanding Secret Domestic Surveillance; Senate Expected to Adopt Intrusive Measure this Afternoon (05/08/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on the House to reject a bill - expected to be adopted by the Senate this afternoon - that would allow secret intelligence investigations of individuals who are not engaged in espionage on behalf of a foreign power. The ACLU said the bill raises serious civil liberties concerns and is fundamentally unnecessary.

ACLU Warns Against Domestic Spying Role For CIA; Urges Congress to Reject Flawed Bush Proposal (05/02/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly urged Congress to reject a Bush Administration proposal to allow the Central Intelligence Agency and the military broad authority to spy on Americans and raised concerns about how the Administration attempted to push the proposal through a closed Senate hearing.

ACLU of Rhode Island Urges Providence To Rethink "Red-Light Camera" Proposal (04/22/2003)
PROVIDENCE, RI--The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today called on Providence Mayor David Cicilline and the City Council to reject a proposal that calls for the installation of so-called "red-light cameras" at various intersections in the city.

ACLU Criticizes CAPPS II in New Online Advertisements (04/02/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today launched a new online advertising campaign addressing the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II, the Transportation Security Administration's airline passenger profiling system that threatens to create a permanent blacklist of people who cannot fly.

Right-Left Groups Tell Homeland Security Committee to Curb CAPPS II (03/25/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined several groups from across the political spectrum in urging Congress to halt further deployment of the controversial airline surveillance system known as the Computer-Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System or CAPPS II.

After High Court Denies Appeal on Ashcroft Spy Powers, ACLU Urges Oversight in Courts and Congress (03/24/2003)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today said it was disappointed by the Supreme Court's rejection of a request to review an extraordinary secret appeals court decision that broadly expanded the government's powers to spy on U.S. citizens, and vowed to continue to counter such efforts.

CAPPS II Data-Mining System Will Invade Privacy and Create Government Blacklist of Americans, ACLU Warns (02/27/2003)
WASHINGTON -- A secretive new system for conducting background checks on all airline passengers threatens to create a bureaucratic machine for destroying Americans' privacy and a government blacklist that will harm innocent Americans, the ACLU said today.

ACLU Applauds Bipartisan Support For FISA Oversight Bill (02/25/2003)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed bipartisan support in Congress for a bill that would require the Department of Justice to formally disclose information about its use of the controversial secret intelligence court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

ACLU Files Comments on Apparent CAPPS II Twin Initiative; Says "Aviation Security Screening Records" Hurts Safety and Freedom (02/24/2003)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed comments today on the proposed Aviation Security Screening Records (ASSR) database, which it says bears a striking and troubling resemblance to the planned traveler surveillance system known as Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II).

ACLU of RI Calls on Providence to Investigate Possible Political Surveillance by Police (02/20/2003)
PROVIDENCE, RI--Prompted by the recent disclosure by city officials here that wiretapping equipment had been installed at the city's year-old public safety complex, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today said that it is calling on police officials to investigate whether officers have engaged in illegal surveillance of political activists or opponents over the years.