News & Commentary
DOJ asks court to give police the benefit of the doubt on murky surveillance law
Live in Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania? You can rest a little bit easier today, knowing that police need a warrant before putting a GPS tracker on your car to monitor your movements. The Department of Justice has declined to appeal a Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the police violated the Fourth Amendment rights of electrician Harry Katzin when they placed a GPS tracker on his van without a warrant.
By By Kade Crockford, Director, ACLU of Massachusetts Technology for Liberty Project
Who Should be in Charge of Privacy in the 21st Century?
An effort is underway to significantly set back even the limited amount of government privacy oversight that currently takes place over commercial privacy in the United States. Tuesday the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade held a hearing titled Federal Trade Commission Review and Outlook. At the hearing, FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen argued for the repeal of the communications common carrier exemption which would transfer regulatory power of telecommunications networks from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to the FTC. While this might sound innocuous enough, the rework could have serious implications for consumer privacy protections.
By By Chris Calabrese, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office
Communities of Color Face Unexpected Foe in Foreclosure Prevention
Millions of Americans are still suffering the effects of the subprime mortgage meltdown. More than four million homeowners have been foreclosed upon already, and nearly 11 million are "underwater," that is, they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. But it's not just these 15 million who are suffering, that number is much larger if you count the children who live in those homes.
By By Rachel Goodman, Staff Attorney, ACLU Racial Justice Program
Tell the White House to Fix ECPA and Protect Our Electronic Privacy
This might come as a shock to you, but the privacy of many of your electronic communications has a six-month expiration date.
By By Chris Calabrese, Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office
Student Survey Finds Sex Education in Texas “Ineffective”
By By Dione Friends, Communications Coordinator, ACLU of Texas
On the Agenda: December 3-6
The Thanksgiving holiday is over, so it's time for Congress to get back to business and tie up some loose ends--like a new budget deal, a farm bill, and a defense spending bill for next year--before the first session of the 113th Congress comes to a close, right?
By By Matthew Harwood, Media Strategist, ACLU
Amazon and Drones
Amazon attracted a lot of attention this weekend when, on “60 Minutes,” CEO Jeff Bezos announced a futuristic vision for the company: using drones to make deliveries within 30 minutes to homes in metropolitan areas.
By By Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project
Pregnant Woman Suffers. You Won't Believe Who's to Blame.
When you show up at a hospital, in need of medical aid, you expect that you're going to get the care that you need—that the doctors and nurses will figure out what's wrong, explain to you the options for treating it, and give you the best medical care possible.
By By Louise Melling, Director, Center of Liberty; Deputy Legal Director, ACLU
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