Stories
Mixed Bag Illinois Law Unleashes Drones on Populace, But Guarantees FR and Weapons Limits
According to The Register, a new Illinois law signed by governor Pritzker overhauls the rules regulating law enforcement use of drones, to mixed effect. The law, known as the “Drones as First Responders Act,” grants police in the … 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 »
Senators Continue to Push Legislation Curbing Facial Recognition Use By Federal and State Governments
Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey has formally reintroduced his “Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act”. Initially debuted in the Senate chambers in 2021, Markey has been persistent in reintroducing it.
If passed, the bill would be a first for regulating … Read more »
Report On Leak Investigation By CBP Reveals Unrestricted Surveillance Powers
According to an investigation by Yahoo News, a little-known division of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was found to regularly snoop on journalists, nonprofit workers, and even members of Congress using CBP’s vast arsenal of surveillance tools. Moreover, … Read more »
New FBI Documents Shed More Light on Cell Phone Location Tracking Capabilities
A recent article by Motherboard paints the clearest picture yet on how the nation’s top law enforcement body queries Americans’ cellular location data. The centerpiece of the story, a training document produced by the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team … Read more »
A Chilling Personal Account Paints a Stark Picture of the Unsettling China-to-America Surveillance Pipeline
A recent piece in the MIT Technology Review paints a vivid and alarming picture of how oppressive Chinese surveillance technology is creeping into free Western nations, with the US leading the way. Excerpting a new book by Darren Byler … 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 »
Timuel Black, Civil Liberties Champion and CCDBR Board Member, Dies at 102
It is with a heavy heart that CCDBR marks the passing of Chicago civil liberties champion and board member Timuel Black. In Black, we have lost a tireless civil rights advocate and a fixture of Chicago civic life. His exemplary … Read more »
Apple Torches Its Pro-Privacy Reputation to Build a Massive iPhone Surveillance Infrastructure
According to the EFF, Apple has announced that it will be building a content-monitoring system into every iPhone, obliterating its reputation as a privacy champion practically overnight. The smartphone giant explained that every iPhone will soon be automatically loaded … Read more »
