Americans' personal data shared with CIA, IRS, others in security probe (www.sacbee.com)
U.S. agencies improperly collected a list of nearly 5,000 Americans, including police officers, firefighters, nurses and lawyers, based on their purchase of books and videos about polygraph countermeasures, or contact with the authors. These agencies disseminated the list, which contained Social Security numbers, addresses, and professions, to nearly 30 federal agencies including the IRS, CIA, NSA, and FDA. The information was collected as part of a criminal investigation of the authors, but was repurposed into a list that agencies checked in a failed attempt to identify “insider threats,” even though many of those on the list did not work for the federal government. The maintenance and dissemination of this list shows how overbroad collection authorities and inadequate limitations on use of information result in violations of Americans’ First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and association, privacy, and due process.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/14/5908083/americans-personal-data-shared.html
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.
The Latest in National Security
-
ACLU Acknowledges Improvements to DOJ Racial Profiling Policy, But Says Far More is Needed
-
ACLU Applauds Court For Allowing Case Challenging FBI’s Wrongful Prosecution of Chinese American Physics Professor To Move Forward
-
Shen v. Simpson
-
Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional and Discriminatory Law Banning Them From Buying Land
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About National Security

The ACLU’s National Security Project is dedicated to ensuring that U.S. national security policies and practices are consistent with the Constitution, civil liberties, and human rights.