Why Conservative Republicans Are Worried About License Plate Cameras
Recent comments by Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis reflect a bipartisan backlash against warrantless surveillance.
Law enforcement
A Federal Indictment Charges an ICE Officer With Lying About a Shooting That DHS Eagerly Defended
The habitually dishonest department uncritically accepted a story that was immediately contradicted by video footage and physical evidence.
The Lindsay Clancy Jury Was Tasked With an Impossible Question
In the court of public opinion, there is little room for ambiguity here. But those who watched the trial know that reality is far less satisfying.
This U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him 3 Times. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.
Despite carrying a REAL ID, Leo Garcia Venegas has been repeatedly detained by immigration agents. Now he’s suing to block immigration raids targeting Latinos on private construction sites.
A New Bill Reflects the Bipartisan Backlash Against Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance
Criticism from Trump allies and recent survey results show that resistance to widespread deployment of automated license plate readers spans the political spectrum.
Prosecutors Say a North Carolina Teenager Committed Murder by Livestreaming a California Mosque Shooting
The case smacks of a desire for retribution that cannot be satisfied by prosecuting the actual killers, who committed suicide.
Cops in Polk County, Georgia, Fatally Shoot Petting Zoo Donkey
The donkey's owner says officers wandered onto her property without permission and shot the small donkey because they felt threatened.
What Craigslist and Backpage Can Tell Us About the Meta Settlement
It doesn't matter if you're right. If you don't cave, the government might stop at nothing to destroy you.
The Belated Backlash Against Flock Cameras
Americans are starting to recognize the dangers of pervasive surveillance by automated license plate readers.
Milo Yiannopoulos Wanted Millions Deported. He Didn't Mean Himself.
"I mean bad immigrants," Yiannopoulos said in a 2016 interview with Joe Rogan. "I don't mean handsome, charming, successful, blonde-haired British immigrants."
The CIA Is Making AI-Generated Reports for Local Police
The CIA has been using artificial intelligence to write “open source intelligence” analyses, which are being distributed to local police via DHS “fusion centers,” according to documents obtained by Reason.
Ron DeSantis Says Flock Cameras Are 'Out of Control,' But Florida's Already Flooded With Surveillance
Florida police departments have been adding drones, facial recognition technology, and license plate readers to their arsenals for years.
He Spent Nearly 6 Years in Prison Based on the Word of a Notoriously Dishonest Houston Drug Cop
In a federal lawsuit, Byron Prophet argues that police supervisors "turned a blind eye" for years as Gerald Goines framed innocent people.
Surveillance Camera Saboteurs Are Getting Government Officials' Attention
Sometimes direct action is the only way to get politicians to consider civil liberties.
Post-9/11 Fear Grew the Surveillance State. 25 Years Later, It's Still Growing.
The U.S. government responded in ways that are so integrated into daily life that we no longer recognize them.
Police in Atlanta Settle Eric André Lawsuit, End Airport Drug Searches
While the settlement is a good thing, it's unfortunately still the case that at airports, the Bill of Rights is more of a list of suggestions.
America Is Building a Surveillance State Like China's
"If there are Flock cameras in your city, they are tracking, logging and sharing your movements without a warrant," warns the ACLU.
ICE Admits It Investigated a Critic Based on Constitutionally Protected Speech
The agency’s attempt to intimidate David Streever is at the center of a First Amendment case.
Trump's Assault on Judicial Review Undermines a Crucial Safeguard Against Tyranny
In one case after another, the president has tried to cut the courts out of the picture painted by the Framers.
She Spent 7 Months in Legal Hell After Cops Used Flock Surveillance To Identify the Wrong Car
From wrongful arrests to officers stalking exes, license plate cameras keep exposing police failures.
Airports Are ICE's Latest Target, Raising 4th Amendment Concerns From Airlines
An apparent surge of ICE arrests in airport terminals has created viral videos and questions over ICE's authority to board planes without judicial warrants.
Texas Man Arrested After Ranting About Age Verification Laws Blocking His Anime
Did he make a true threat? Or was this just hyperbolic ranting about bad policy?
North Carolina Citizen Files Damages Claim After Border Patrol Arrested Him, Then Left Him on the Roadside
A viral video showed immigration officers uncuffing Fernando Vasquez and then dumping his papers onto the ground before driving off.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
Kansas Lawsuit: ALPRs Turn a License Plate Into the 'Functional Equivalent' of a 'GPS Tracking Device'
The Kansas Justice Institute argues that Wichita's "warrantless ALPR dragnet surveillance program" violates the state constitution's privacy protections.
A Pennsylvania Mom Says the Cops Were Called on Her 4 Times—for Letting Her Kids Be Outside
State lawmakers are mulling a law that would establish commonsense protections for families that give their children a reasonable amount of independence.
Georgia Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Misusing Flock Surveillance Data
Although Flock Safety’s auditing tools have helped catch the bad actors, more is needed to protect Americans’ privacy.
Florida Wildlife Agency Tracked Critics Using Law Enforcement Database
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it followed the law when it pulled the driving records of more than a dozen critics of the agency.
The Homicide Rate Has Dropped to Historic Lows. Contrary to What Politicians Say, No One Really Knows Why.
The latest numbers from a sample of U.S. cities indicate continuing crime decreases that go beyond a reversion to pre-2020 norms.
Pennsylvania's Top Court Unanimously Rejects Warrantless Searches of Private Land
The justices said the "open fields" doctrine, a sweeping exception to constitutional privacy protections, does not apply in the Keystone State.
If You Get Drunk and Brandish a Fake Gun in a Waymo, Don't Blame the Cameras
Firing a toy gun out of a camera-covered robotaxi while underage drinking was never going to end well.
Florida Police Officer Used Mass Surveillance Network to Stalk Romantic Interest
Newly published dashcam footage shows a sheriff’s deputy driving recklessly to pull over an actress he’d met while working on the set of the TV show Bad Monkey.
New Homeland Security Task Forces Target Immigrants Over Sex Work
The Trump administration is protecting Americans from an invasion of illicit handjobs.
The 5th Circuit Says a Houston Cop Reasonably Killed 2 Innocent People Falsely Accused of Selling Heroin
The officer's avowed reasons for killing Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were contradicted by the physical evidence.
He Spent Over 80 Days in Jail After Florida Cops Arrested Him on Faulty Facial Recognition
Police have arrested at least 15 people in recent years based on bad facial recognition hits.
In Big Win for Fourth Amendment Advocates, the Supreme Court Says 'Geofence Warrants' Count as a 'Search'
Understanding Chatrie v. United States.
DOJ Case Against Minneapolis Antifa Groups Has Concerning First Amendment Implications
"This indictment appears to be going way overboard, using a sledgehammer to address what might have been some infractions."
Who Owns Your Data?
The Supreme Court could be poised to decide whether it's you or Big Tech companies.
Trump Says His Task Force Is Fighting a Foreign 'Invasion.' It's Busting Americans for Drugs Instead.
How Trump rebranded the war on drugs as a fight against illegal immigration
The Trump Administration Seriously Considered Unilaterally Suspending the Writ of Habeas Corpus
The proposal was nixed only after White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf explained why it was legally dubious.
Police Kill 1-Year-Old Boy by Shooting Into Car of Suspected Shoplifters
The suspects—his mother and aunt—were accused of shoplifting diapers from Walmart.
ACLU Sues After Facial Recognition Falsely Identifies Florida Man as a Child Abductor
Police arrested and charged Robert Dillon with a heinous crime based on nothing more than a faulty image search.
Lawsuit Says a Memphis Police Task Force Waged a Harassment Campaign Against People Who Filmed Them
The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a judge to block the Memphis Safe Task Force from retaliating against anyone who exercises their First Amendment right to record the police.
Trump's Immunity Deal Stinks Even More Than His Blatantly Corrupt 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'
An addendum to the president's "settlement" of his lawsuit against the IRS shields him and his family from liability for any federal offenses they committed prior to May 19.
Indiana Police Misplace More Than $30,000 Seized in Massage Parlor Raids
The raids took place after a detective with the state Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Law Enforcement Task Force got four penis massages.
Thomas and Alito Take a Regrettable Position in a Qualified Immunity Case
The two judicial conservatives continue to disappoint criminal justice reform advocates.
Leaked Plans Show School Buses Could Become Roaming Surveillance Vehicles
The documents reveal BusPatrol’s plan to equip tens of thousands of school buses with license plate readers and share the data with law enforcement.
The Other Vindictive Part of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Case
A judge last week threw out a criminal indictment against him on the grounds that it was tainted by vindictiveness. But that same spirit infects another part of his story that few people have discussed.
