Home : Privacy & Technology : Surveillance & Wiretapping

Civil Liberties Groups Say New Encryption Export Regulations Still Have Serious Constitutional Deficiencies (01/13/2000)
WASHINGTON -- Leading Internet civil liberties groups said today that new encryption export regulations released by the U.S. Commerce Department fall short of the Clinton Administration's promise to deregulate the privacy-enhancing technology. 

Groups Initiate Court Challenge to FBI Wiretap Standards; Say FCC Decision Threatens Communications Privacy (11/18/1999)
WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center 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.

ACLU Launches Web Site On Global Surveillance System (11/16/1999)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today launched a web site designed to shed light on a global electronic surveillance system known by the code name "Echelon" that reportedly allows the United States and other governments to eavesdrop on private citizens. 

ACLU Welcomes Clinton Medical Privacy Regulations; Says Major Components Must Be Strengthened (10/29/1999)
WASHINGTON -- Saying that the advent of the digital era has led to increased privacy risks, the American Civil Liberties Union applauded the medical privacy regulations unveiled today by President Clinton as a significant step forward, but said it would work to strengthen several of the proposal's major components.

Senate to Give Final Approval To Long-Sought Privacy Protections (10/04/1999)
"Today we scored two points for the average American and Big Brother got zero," said ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory T. Nojeim. "In one fell swoop, drivers gained additional protections for their personal information and the immediate threat of national ID cards - which has long posed one of the greatest risks to personal privacy in this country - was diminished." 

Federal Judge Rejects City's Efforts to Modify Police Spying Guidelines (10/01/1999)
CHICAGO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today welcomed a court's rejection of Chicago's efforts to modify a 1982 court order regulating police investigations of free-speech activities.

ACLU Detects Rotten Odor in Gov't. "Sniffer" Program (07/29/1999)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Clinton Administration plans to create a government-wide network for guarding the nation's most important computer systems are alarming civil liberties groups, USA Today reported.

Seattle Police Apologize for Secret Surveillance (06/15/1999)
SEATTLE, WA -- Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper yesterday apologized for his department's surreptitious taping of last week's news conference sponsored by several community groups announcing public hearings into allegations of police abuses.

ACLU Expresses Significant Doubts About New Draft of Medical Privacy Bill (06/15/1999)
After weeks of negotiating the differences between three medical records privacy bills introduced this year, Senator James Jeffords, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, unveiled a new draft of his legislation before his committee today. 

ACLU Banks on Internet to Defeat Anti-Privacy Proposal (06/14/1999)
WASHINGTON, DC -- InterActive Week today marveled at the American Civil Liberties Union rapid-fire ability to rally troops in a recent online call to action against federal banks officials' "Know Your Customer" campaign.

ACLU Strongly Urges Congress to Give Medical Records Same Privacy Protections As Those Given Video Rentals (04/27/1999)
Testifying on medical records privacy before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the ACLU said that advances in technology have brought about a revolution in every aspect of health care. 

ACLU Says that Banks Continue to Spy on Customers (04/20/1999)
In testimony today before two House subcommittees, ACLU Legislative Counsel Gregory T. Nojeim said that the withdrawal of the regulations does not mean that the public is safe from privacy intrusions and called on Congress to prohibit bank spying and to take steps to increase privacy for all bank customers. 

Debate Grows Over Surveillance Cameras on LA Streets (04/13/1999)
HUNTINGTON PARK, CA -- City officials in Southern California are seeking to install surveillance cameras along popular streets even though it might infringe on citizens' constitutional right to privacy, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

ACLU Calls on Law Enforcement to Support (04/08/1999)
ACLU Calls on Law Enforcement to Support Privacy Laws for Public Video Surveillance

ACLU Calls on Law Enforcement to Support Privacy Laws for Public Video Surveillance (04/08/1999)
One purpose of the meeting, conference organizers said, was to review "proposed guidelines on closed circuit television security products monitoring and recording of public areas for safety and security purposes." 

Medical Privacy at Risk as Government Seeks Invasive Patient Information (04/07/1999)
The new data collection regime is scheduled to begin on April 26 when the health care providers -- including nurses and therapists -- will be required to fill out a 19-page questionnaire that asks for more than 100 details about a patient's financial and living situation and mental health. Other questions probe whether a patient is incontinent, smokes, is obese or alcohol dependent. 

ACLU Calls for Investigation into Global Surveillance System (04/06/1999)
Inquiries by the European Parliament resulted in reports detailing the existence of ECHELON, which is led by the NSA in conjunction with its counterpart agencies in England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. According to the reports, ECHELON has communications receiving stations all over the world and attempts to capture all satellite, microwave, cellular and fiber-optic communications worldwide, including communications to and from North America. Computers then sort through conversations, faxes and emails for searching for keywords. Communications that include keywords chosen by the intelligence agencies are transcribed and forwarded for further investigation. 

ACLU of Ohio Questions City of Parma Policy on Social Security Numbers (03/17/1999)
CLEVELAND--In a letter directed to the Parma City Law Department, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today called into question an ordinance requiring landlords to collect the social security numbers of their tenants.

ACLU Endorses Medical Records Privacy Legislation (03/10/1999)
Barry Steinhardt, Associate Director of the ACLU, called the legislation -- being introduced today by Senators Patrick Leahy, D-VT, and Edward Kennedy, D-MA, and Representative Edward Markey, D-MA -- an outstanding effort to protect the privacy of American's medical records.