News & Commentary

Google released its new transparency report this week, revealing that U.S. government demands for the personal information of Google's users, like chat records or emails, continue to rise. The report serves to emphasize the heightened importance of increased transparency about how often the government is accessing sensitive information about who we are, where we go, what we do and why.

Catherine CrumpACLU National Office

Yesterday, California lawmakers took an important step towards updating reader privacy for the digital age. The California Assembly Judiciary Committee passed the Reader Privacy Act of 2011 (SB 602) with a bipartisan vote of 8-2.

Yasir Afifi, a 20-year-old U.S.-born citizen, found a strange device attached to his car. When he posted a photo of it online, the FBI showed up at his home and wanted their GPS tracking device back. The FBI had been tracking Afifi's movements without a warrant.

It's time to reform California's sentencing laws. Californians are fed up with misguided policies that have packed our prisons & jails, drained our state bud­get and led to one of the highest rates of recidivism in the country.The recent Plata v. Brown decision from the U.S. Supreme Court requires the Department of Corr

Catherine CrumpACLU National Office

By Christopher CalabreseWashington Legislative Office

Students have a right to be free from unreasonable searches, and a right to keep their personal information private. This means that school officials rarely, if ever, have a right to search the contents of a student's cell phone or other electronic device.

Today, California lawmakers took an important step towards updating reader privacy for the digital age. The California Senate passed the Reader Privacy Act of 2011 (SB 602) with a unanimous bipartisan vote of 40-0.