Privacy
Patrick Eddington: How to 'Tyranny-Proof' America
The former CIA analyst and Cato scholar discusses Palantir, Trump's new national database, and the sordid history of federal law enforcement on Just Asking Questions.
An Arkansas Town Agrees To Remove a License Plate Camera Aimed at a Couple's Home
Local officials initially were unfazed by complaints that the constant surveillance raised serious privacy concerns.
Leaked Blueprint Reveals ICE Plan To Use IRS Data To Increase Detentions
ICE wants to access confidential IRS data to locate tax-paying undocumented immigrants and boost detention numbers.
Publishing Private Phone Number May Be Tortious, Says Court in Case Brought by Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary)
Defendant had 100K X followers, and as a result O'Leary "was flooded with unwanted communications."
ICE Is Snooping on Your Medical Bills
The immigration agency has reportedly gained access to a private database designed to fight insurance fraud.
Trump Can Take Revenge on the 'Deep State': Pardon Snowden
Why Edward Snowden deserves not only a presidential pardon, but a hero's welcome home.
No Qualified Immunity for School District Police Officer Who Seized Home-Schooled 14-Year-Old from Home
The child, and her 12-year-old brother, were left under the supervision of a neighbor by the mother, who left town for six days for a foreign job interview.
Crossing the U.S. Border? Keep Your Electronic Devices Safe from Searches.
Officials at the border have the power to paw through sensitive data on your phone.
Don't Blame 23andMe for the Federal Government's Lack of Clear Data Privacy Rules
A lawsuit against the genomics company "imposes top-down restrictions" rather than "establishing clear rules" or "letting companies equip individuals with better tools to manage their privacy," says one expert.
Florida Used a Nationwide Surveillance Camera Network 250 Times To Aid in Immigration Arrests
Flock Safety’s 40,000 cameras present in over 5,000 communities across the U.S. are being used to detain undocumented immigrants, many of whom have no criminal history.
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
Nevada Becomes the 21st State To Strengthen Donor Privacy Protections
A new law prohibits the state from requiring nonprofits to disclose the personal information of their supporters, protecting Americans’ First Amendment right to free association.
How Palantir Is Expanding the Surveillance State
If you think the government will only use these tools to track illegal immigrants, think again.
Women-Only Naked Spa Lacks First Amendment Right to Exclude Transgender Patrons with Penises
So the Ninth Circuit held today, by a 2-1 vote. I tentatively think the majority got it right as a matter of First Amendment law and statutory interpretation, though I think such statutes ought to be written to include some privacy exceptions as to gender identity and not just sex.
With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports
To make us safer, the feds required standardized ID and one-stop shopping for identity thieves.
New Orleans Police Secretly Used Prohibited Facial Recognition Surveillance for Years
Although the AI-generated surveillance of the public has been paused, the program continues to send automatic alerts to the Louisiana State Police and federal authorities.
New Montana Law Blocks the State From Buying Private Data To Skirt the Fourth Amendment
The Big Sky State becomes the first to close the "data broker loophole" allowing the government to get private information without a warrant.
The IRS Says Your Digital Life Is Not Your Property
A Supreme Court case could determine whether Americans own their digital data—or whether the government can take that information without a warrant.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act's Good Intentions Don't Make Up for Its Bad Policy
Congress just approved a new online censorship scheme under the auspices of thwarting revenge porn and AI-generated "nonconsensual intimate visual depictions."
The Intelligence Community's AI Revolution
The feds are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence across spy agencies. What could go wrong?
Seattle Schools Surveyed Students on Mental Health. Then Parents Discovered the Data Weren't Secure.
Schools across the country are gathering personal information and putting students' privacy at risk.
Border Cops Try To Make an End Run Around Attorney-Client Privilege
Detroit lawyer Amir Makled has confidential client data on his phone. That didn’t stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection from trying to search it.
What To Do If Border Police Ask To Search Your Phone
Know how much the law does—and doesn’t—protect your privacy rights.
Signal Chat Controversy Is an Endorsement of Encryption Software
Popular encryption apps are probably secure if government officials rely on them.
Why I'm Not Deleting My 23andMe Genetic Data
And you shouldn't be panicked into doing it either.
Ninth Circuit Declines to Block Idaho's "Biological Sex" Restrictions for Multi-Occupancy School Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Shower Rooms
The court leaves open, though, the possibility that a narrower challenge aimed just at restrooms with closed stalls, where students wouldn't generally be partly or fully undressed where others can see them.
Sleepwalking Into a Cashless Society
Central bank digital currencies would destroy any chance for financial privacy, but society is willingly moving in that direction.
Will ICE Use the Alien Enemies Act To Enter Homes Without Warrants?
Already this year, the agency has allegedly conducted a warrantless raid in Newark and several warrantless arrests in the Midwest.
France Accuses Trump of Booting Space Researcher Over 'Personal Opinion'
Border officials reportedly barred the academic from visiting Texas after finding anti-Trump messages on his phone.
Rand Paul Seeks Information on U.K. Requests for Americans' Private Data
Last month, the U.K. reportedly demanded access to any Apple user's data anywhere in the world. Paul wants to know if any other companies have received similar orders recently.
Taking $200 Out of an ATM Should Not Trigger Federal Financial Surveillance
No, not even if you do it in a county that borders Mexico.
Georgia Antidoxing Bill Could Criminalize Everyday Criticism
The bill is a "law against criticism of any kind," according to a lawyer who testified against it.
Study: Age-Verification Laws Don't Work
At least not if the goal is keeping minors from viewing porn.
Apple Takes U.K. to Court Over Demand To Weaken Encryption
If enacted, the order would weaken digital security for Apple users throughout the U.K.
Tort Law vs. Privacy: Ride-Share Services May Have Duty to Prevent Anonymous Riders
So the Missouri Court of Appeals concludes, in allowing a negligence/design defect case to proceed against Lyft, based on a driver's having been murdered by riders who "fraudulently and anonymously request[ed]" a ride.
Can Publicizing a Person's "Address and Physical Appearance" in Connection with True Allegations of Misconduct Be Actionable?
A federal magistrate judge flags the issue, though doesn't purport to resolve it.
