Miami Police Used Clearview AI Facial Recognition in Arrest of Homeless Man
Facial recognition technology is increasingly being deployed by police officers across the country, but the scope of its use has been hard to pin down.
Privacy
The Cops Are Watching You
New online database details the shocking extent of intrusive surveillance tech used by American police.
ICE Leaked These Asylum Seekers' Personal Information. A Court Just Dismissed Their Lawsuit.
“The victims may not have been persecuted or tortured due to the data breach yet, but the likelihood of those outcomes has increased due to ICE’s conduct.”
Congress Renews Warrantless Digital Spying Program as Part of $886 Billion Spending Bill
Section 702 will continue until April, when Congress will have another shot at seriously reforming a program that desperately needs it.
Major Pharmacies Give Cops Patient Records Without a Warrant, Lawmakers' Investigation Finds
Three major pharmacy chains admitted to encouraging staff to hand prescription records over to law enforcement without a warrant, and without a legal review.
Will the Climate Deal Do Anything?
Plus: White supremacists and plagiarism, Milei and shock therapy, checking in on California, and more...
House Proposal Would Expand Federal Warrantless Spying Authority
One bill set to be considered would grow the scope of federal digital surveillance and would authorize the federal government to use those powers against more individuals.
Gas Tax Revenues Decline as Cars Get More Efficient. How Will Government Pay for Roads?
Lawmakers should consider a user-fee system designed to charge drivers by the mile.
Lawmakers Try To Insert Privacy Protections Into the Feds' Snooping Powers
The bipartisan Government Surveillance Reform Act would stop a lot of warrantless surveillance as a condition for renewal of Section 702 authorities.
How Vexatious Government Demands Can Lead Your Bank To Refuse To Do Business with You
The government treats its endless appetite for information about citizens as more important than people's ability to conduct business in a normal fashion.
Government Misuse of Data Rightly Worries Americans
Federal agencies frequently buy their way around the Fourth Amendment.
Odd Colorado Ruling Upholds Internet Keyword Search Warrant
Court says the warrant was “constitutionally defective” but grants police a “good faith” exception.
No Preliminary Injunction Against Idaho Law Mandating Public School Students Use Bathrooms "That Correspond[] with Their Biological Sex"
The court had earlier issued a temporary restraining order against the law, to maintain the status quo; but now that it has gotten more full briefing, it declined to block the law (but also declined to dismiss the challenge to the law).
Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive?
The former OnlyFans star and outspoken libertarian defender of sex workers considers the acceleration of government crackdowns on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
Minnesota's Top Court Rebukes Cops Who Searched a Car After Claiming To Smell Pot That Wasn't There
In light of the state's marijuana reforms, the court says, the odor of weed is not enough to establish probable cause.
Records of Library Removal Requests, Like Other Library User Records, Are Exempt from State Public Records Law
The case stemmed from user challenges asking that a public library remove Gender Queer: A Memoir, or at least keep children from getting it.
Schools Are Normalizing Intrusive Surveillance
Kids will grow up to value freedom only if they’re raised in an environment where it’s treated as good.
Is There Too Much Porn?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern this Thursday for a discussion with Aella about the escalating government crackdown on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
The IRS Sprang a Leak
Plus: Donald Trump's creative accounting, those sneaky vegans, brain drain, and more...
Government Watchdog Calls Out Dangers in Section 702 Surveillance
A divided board recommends reforms as Congress debates renewing snooping authority.
Federal Judge Blocks California Online Age-Checking Law as Unconstitutional
Shielding children from “harm” shouldn’t come at the expense of speech protected by the First Amendment.
U.K. Government Finally Admits It Can't Scan for Child Porn Without Violating Everybody's Privacy
A surveillance authority in the country’s troubling Online Safety Bill won’t be enforced, officials say. But for how long?
Arbitrary Rental Inspections Violate Search and Seizure Protections, Says Iowa Court
Warrantless home invasions are intrusive and dangerous for those on the receiving end.
Do the Proud Boys Deserve To Be in Prison Forever?
Plus: A listener question concerning porn verification laws.
Protecting Kids on Social Media Act Cloaks Attack on Privacy Behind Concern for Children
There are already people responsible for regulating children’s online activity: parents and guardians.
GOP Debate Stuff We Didn't Hate
Plus: A listener question about the continued absurdity of sports stadium subsidies
Stop Publishing Mug Shots—Even Donald Trump's
Mug shots are not taken to humiliate a defendant before they've been convicted. But that's the purpose they widely serve now.
U.S. Emulates Communist China in New TikTok Draft Agreement
Plus: Americans vote too much, Indiana abortion ban to take effect, and more...
Why Stripping Fox's Broadcast License Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: A listener inquires about the potential positive effects of ranked-choice voting reforms.
The IRS Misplaced Millions of Taxpayer Records. Again.
The only effective means of keeping tax collectors from misusing data is keeping it from them.
Twitter Fined for Failing To Quickly Turn Over Trump Data to Jack Smith
Plus: A warning about trigger warnings, Biden blocks uranium mining near Grand Canyon, and more...
Video Privacy Protection Act Claim Can Go Forward Against Google Based on Google's Alleged …
disclosure of an elementary school student's YouTube video watching history to the school, which was investigating him for supposed sexual harassment of teacher.
New Zealand Keeps Doxxing Registered Gun Owners
The events expose an underappreciated downside to government registries: In addition to civil liberties concerns, so much information in a concentrated database is a potential privacy nightmare.
Government Wants To Control Your Digital Identity
As states continue to implement digital ID systems, it is essential that they build tools in ways that inherently protect civil liberties rather than asking citizens to just trust government officials.
Kansas Cops Have 'Waged War on Motorists' by Subjecting Them to Pretextual Traffic Stops, a Federal Judge Says
The ruling draws back the veil on routine police practices that victimize innocent drivers.
Massachusetts Considers Ban on Sale of Phone Location Data
Abortion and privacy activists join over concerns that cell phones track our movements.
Biden's Flip-Flop on Warrantless Surveillance
Plus: Montanans challenge ban on drag story hour, Arizona approves birth control without a prescription, and more...
The Ranks of Gun Owners Grow, and So Does Their Resistance to Scrutiny
Researchers report that many gun owners, especially newer ones, falsely deny owning guns.
Right to Privacy Challenge to L.A. City Employee COVID Vaccine Mandate Can Go Forward,
though the city may yet prevail later in the case, if it can show enough facts justifying the mandate.
Europe's Bitcoin-Busting Mistake
The E.U.'s new virtual currency regulations will endanger privacy and trigger an exodus of tech talent from Europe, hobbling its role in the future of finance.
Intelligence Services Evade 4th Amendment by Paying for Your Data
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that the practice threatens civil liberties, risks "mission creep," and could increase intelligence agencies' power.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Privacy Rights, Internet Mug Shots, and a Right to Be Forgotten," by Prof. Amy Gajda
Just published as part of the symposium on Media and Society After Technological Disruption, edited by Profs. Justin "Gus" Hurwitz & Kyle Langvardt.
Virginia Wildlife Agents Came Onto His Land and Stole His Camera. Now He's Suing.
Eight weeks ago, a camouflaged game warden came onto Josh Highlander's land, scared his son, and stole his trail camera.
Privacy Lawsuit Over Netflix's Our Father Fertility Fraud Documentary Can Go Forward
"Dr. Cline inseminated many of his female patients with his own semen, ultimately, fathering approximately [94] children"; Netflix allegedly promised the Secret Children anonymity when making its film, but allegedly broke its promise.
