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.
Privacy
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.
Will FBI Director Kash Patel Be a Principled Reformer or a Trump Hatchet Man?
The newly confirmed head of the country's leading law enforcement agency has a history of advocating politically motivated investigations even while condemning them.
In DOGE Lawsuit, Judge Declines To Block White House Emailing Federal Employees
Citing Reddit posts and podcast interviews, pseudonymous government employees are arguing that DOGE violated federal privacy regulations when setting up a government-wide email system.
U.K. Demands Access to Any Apple User's Data, Anywhere in the World
The reported order from Britain's Home Office is further proof that governments pose a greater privacy risk than corporations.
DOGE Needs Data To Survive. These Lawsuits Are Trying To Starve It of Information.
Nearly a dozen lawsuits allege that DOGE's access to government payment and personnel systems violates a litany of federal privacy and record-handling laws.
Los Angeles Sheriff Misused Confidential Database Thousands of Times To Run Concealed Carry Background Checks
Public records obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation show how sensitive police databases are used and abused.
Banks Are Narcing on You Because Congress Forces Them To
The Bank Secrecy Act regime forces banks to report customers to the government for an ever-growing list of “red flags.”
Age Verification Laws Meet VPNs and Lawsuits in a War Over Speech and Privacy
A new crop of restrictive laws faces a friendly reception in the courts but ongoing public resistance.
Trump Is Trying To Fire Most of the White House's Civil Liberties Watchdog
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board should be Trump's ally in a battle against the deep state. So why is he undermining it?
The Future of Online Porn Is At Stake Today
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Texas case that could have major ramifications across the country—including, perhaps, the end of anonymity online.
IRS Failed To Properly Dispose of Sensitive Tax Documents, Report Finds
Some IRS offices routinely threw away sensitive material with regular trash, while others used unlocked or damaged storage bins.
