Home : Privacy & Technology : Surveillance & Wiretapping

Citing Strictures, Universities Decline to Review FBI's 'Carnivore' System (09/06/2000)
ATLANTA -- Academic institutions will likely pass up the chance to audit the federal government's Internet monitoring system, citing strict controls that would prevent an independent review, researchers said Wednesday, according to CNN.com news.

Reno Plans Study of FBI's "Carnivore" (08/10/2000)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department plans to hire a major university to analyze the FBI's ``Carnivore'' e-mail surveillance system, but civil libertarians said such a review can't answer all the questions about the system, the Associated Press reported.

Citing Privacy Concerns, ACLU Challenges Florida Law Requiring Social Security Numbers for Absentee Voting (08/10/2000)
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- In an effort to protect privacy rights, the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit here today challenging a state statute that requires voters to disclose the last four digits of their social security number in order to obtain absentee ballots.

ACLU Lawsuit Seeks Access to Rohode Island Police Surveillance Policies (08/08/2000)

ACLU Lawsuit Seeks Access to Rhode Island Police Surveillance Policies (08/08/2000)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island filed suit today against the Providence Police Department for refusing to reveal its policies regarding the city's use of surveillance cameras in police cars and in public locations throughout the city.

Virginia School to Use Cameras To Keep Eye on Students (08/06/2000)
FAIRFAX, VA -- High school and middle school students in Virginia's Fauquier County will be watched by electronic eyes this year after the installation of almost $60,000 worth of cameras over the spring and summer, The Washington Post reported

ACLU Tells House Panel That FBI Is Engaged In Unprecedented Power Grab (07/24/2000)
WASHINGTON -- Testifying about the new "Carnivore" wiretapping system, the American Civil Liberties Union today told a House committee that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is engaged in an "unprecedented" power grab that threatens the privacy of all Americans. 

Too Little, Too Late: ACLU Disappointed by Administration Speech on Electronic Privacy (07/17/2000)
WASHINGTON -- This morning's speech on electronic privacy by White House Chief of Staff John Podesta was deeply disappointing. The Administration missed an important opportunity to issue an executive order that would have immediately restrained Federal law enforcement. Instead, it only offered legislative proposals that are highly unlikely to be adopted this year. 

In Unique Tactic, ACLU Seeks FBI Computer Code on "Carnivore" and Other Cybersnoop Programs (07/14/2000)
WASHINGTON -- In what may be the first request of its kind, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose the computer source code and other technical details about its new Internet wiretapping programs.

ACLU Responds to Plan to Use Surveillance Cameras to Track Drivers Who Run Red Lights (07/13/2000)
NEW YORK -- According to a study released yesterday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers who try to beat red lights are to blame for the deaths of more than 800 people and an estimated 200,000 injuries in the United States each year.

ACLU Urges Congress to Put a Leash on "Carnivore" And Other Government Snoopware Programs (07/12/2000)
WASHINGTON -- Law enforcement officials using new surveillance technologies online are racing far ahead of established privacy law and must be reined in, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

ACLU Asks Senate to Preserve Civil Liberties While Preventing Terrorism (06/15/2000)
"This report is a virtual smorgasbord of civil liberties violations," said ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory T. Nojeim, who pointed to a broad range of red flags raised by the Commission's report. 

Attack on Terrorism Misses Target, Hits America's Freedoms Instead, Charges the ACLU (06/05/2000)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today criticized a new report by the National Commission on Terrorism, which included several disturbing recommendations, including putting the Pentagon in charge when there is a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Privacy Advocates Concerned About Echelon (05/01/2000)
BOSTON -- The possibility that innocent people may become Echelon targets or that the project's spying may exceed legal boundaries bothers privacy activists, PC World reported. The activists note that when an intelligence project operates in total secrecy, the public has no way of knowing whether or not the program is operating within the law.

Private Conversations Sent By Email Deserve the Same Protection as Telephone Conversations, ACLU Says (04/06/2000)
"Legally, it is easier for the government to snoop through a couple's private emails to one another than it is for the government to listen in on the very same conversations if they take place on the phone," said Gregory T. Nojeim, a legislative counsel for the ACLU. "The distinction cannot be justified -- electronic conversations deserve the same level of protection as our telephone calls." 

ACLU Urges Congress to Strengthen Drivers' Privacy Protections (04/04/2000)
"While Congress moved in the right direction last year, the level of driver privacy is still inadequate," ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory T. Nojeim told the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. "Absent a strong signal from Congress -- and enticed by the millions of dollars that the sale of personal information can generate -- states will inevitably succumb to efforts of private entrepreneurs who continue to seek private data." 

ACLU Urges SEC to Halt Internet Snoop Plan; Asks Congress to Strengthen Driver's License Privacy (04/04/2000)
WASHINGTON -- In a letter sent today to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union called a plan to create an Internet surveillance system for monitoring online fraud "a potential threat to the privacy and free speech rights of Americans," and urged the agency to suspend the plan.

ACLU Calls White House Report on Internet Crime Law Enforcement "Wish List" (03/09/2000)
WASHINGTON-- A White House report on blocking Internet crime contains dangerous recommendations that would strip away basic privacy, free speech and free press protections, the American Civil Liberties Union warned today.

ACLU Renews Calls for Congressional Hearings Into Secret Global Surveillance System (02/25/2000)
"In light of the controversy engendered by this week's hearings before the European Parliament, Congress must move quickly to investigate to determine if ECHELON is as sweeping and intrusive as has been reported," said Gregory T. Nojeim, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. 

Groups Challenge FBI Wiretap Standards, Say FCC Decision Threatens Communications Privacy (01/20/2000)
WASHINGTON, DC -- Leading Internet privacy advocates today asked a federal appeals court to block new rules that would enable the FBI to dictate the design of the nation's communication infrastructure. The challenged rules would enable the Bureau to track the physical locations of cellular phone users and potentially monitor Internet traffic.