privacy
Loopholes in Law Enforcement Facial Recognition Bans Reveal Major Legal Blemishes
A new article from The Washington Post reveals how law enforcement bodies in major municipalities are circumventing their jurisdictions’ bans on facial recognition. Specifically, the report used police departments in Austin and San Francisco, both of which prohibit police … Read more »
Law Enforcement Caught Seizing Prescription Drug Data on Americans Without a Warrant
A new report from the Washington Post has laid bare the shocking ease with which law enforcement is able to obtain prescription drug records on patients across the country. The revelation that government bodies effectively do not require a warrant … Read more »
The Technological Leaps Hitting the Market Show the True Face of Facial Recognition
A new report from the LA Times reveals the frightening scale of potential civil liberties violations posed by recent advances in facial recognition technology. The piece profiles a company called Vintra which is showcasing the “co-appearance” feature of its … Read more »
Illinois’s Nation-Leading Biometric Privacy Protections Continue to Strengthen
Last month, the Illinois Supreme Court set a milestone legal precedent to strengthen the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (or “BIPA”). The ruling expands the scope of possible enforcement of already potent biometric privacy protections.
In the case before the … Read more »
New FTC Report Admits that ISP Surveillance is Practically Inescapable
According to The Register, a new report by the FTC has concluded that it is nearly impossible for internet service provider (ISP) customers to escape surveillance from these companies in actual practice. In particular, the report notes that add-on … Read more »
Magistrate Judge in Chicago Sets Stage for Challenging “Geofence” Warrant Constitutionality
According to a report in Wired, a magistrate judge based in Chicago has called the constitutionality of expansive location-based search warrants into question for the first time. In a July ruling that was only recently unsealed, judge M. David … Read more »
Civil Libertarians Forewarn of Breathtaking Surveillance Expansion to Combat COVID-19
A new article by The Washington Post notes a mounting fear among civil liberties defenders that the US government could take steps to establish or expand surveillance programs as a means of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Although neither members of … Read more »
Research Shows Poor Americans More Severely Harmed By Surveillance
According to a piece in The New York Times, a recent study by the Pew Research Center revealed that Americans in lower income groups confront greater privacy and security concerns, but enjoy less access to means of addressing them… Read more »
Report: Justice Department Convenes Forum to Expand Police Use of Drones with Zero Concern for Privacy Implications
Last week, the US Department of Justice issued a press release announcing the start of a forum designed to help law enforcement agencies across the country expand their use of drones. The release, which took the form of a … Read more »
San Francisco Moves to Prohibit Government Use of Facial Recognition and Limit Surveillance Technology
According to a new piece by The Atlantic, San Francisco legislators are moving ahead with a bill that would prohibit city government agencies from using facial recognition technology. While the draft legislation, known as the “Stop Secret Surveillance … Read more »
