Privacy & Technology
FBI v. Fazaga
Privacy & Technology
Status: Decided
In a case scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 8, 2021, three Muslim Americans are challenging the FBI’s secret spying on them and their communities based on their religion, in violation of the Constitution and federal law. In what will likely be a landmark case, the plaintiffs — Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik, and Yasser Abdelrahim — insist that the FBI cannot escape accountability for violating their religious freedom by invoking “state secrets.” The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the ACLU of Southern California, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Council for American Islamic Relations, and the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
Stay informed about our latest work in the courts
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy policy.
Featured
Privacy & Technology
Carpenter v. United States
Status: Decided
The Supreme Court ruled that the government needs a warrant to access a person’s cellphone location history. The court found in a 5 to 4 decision that obtaining such information is a search under the Fourth Amendment and that a warrant from a judge based on probable cause is required.
Visit case page
Privacy & Technology
Sarkar v. Doe - PubPeer Subpoena Challenge
The ACLU filed a motion in Michigan state court challenging the constitutionality of a subpoena issued to the website PubPeer demanding that it turn over the identities of anonymous commenters. In March 2015, the trial judge ruled that PubPeer had to unmask one – but only one – of the commenters. Both PubPeer and the researcher appealed, and the ruling was upheld in December 2016.
Visit case page
All Cases
May 11, 2022
May 11, 2022
ACLU v. Clearview AI
Privacy & Technology
Status: Settled
The ACLU, ACLU of Illinois, and the law firm Edelson PC filed a lawsuit on May 28, 2020 against Clearview AI alleging violation of Illinois residents’ privacy rights under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs in the case are the ACLU and ACLU of Illinois, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago, Illinois Public Interest Research Group, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción, who sue on behalf of their members, clients, and program participants.
Visit case page
Dec 07, 2021
Dec 07, 2021
Van Buren v. United States
Privacy & Technology
Status: Decided
Whether the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) should be interpreted to create liability for violations of computer use policies, including website terms of service.
Visit case page
Dec 07, 2021
Dec 07, 2021
Robert Andrews v. State of New Jersey
Privacy & Technology
Status: Cert Denied
Whether the Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment protects an individual from being compelled to recall and truthfully disclose a memorized smartphone passcode, where communicating the passcode may lead to the discovery of incriminating evidence to be used against him in a criminal prosecution?
Visit case page
Dec 07, 2021
Dec 07, 2021
Merchant v. Mayorkas
Privacy & Technology
Status: Cert Denied
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU of Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without warrants at the U.S. border.
Visit case page
Dec 07, 2021
Dec 07, 2021
Arthur Gregory Lange v. California
Privacy & Technology
Status: Decided
Whether the Fourth Amendment permits the police, in all cases, to pursue an individual into a private home without a warrant while attempting to make a misdemeanor arrest, or whether specific exigent circumstances are required.
Visit case page