Warrants
Top Cops Pick the Midst of an International Spying Scandal To Demand Encryption Curbs
Regulating privacy protections would put the public at greater risk than criminals.
Texas Cops Realized They Raided the Wrong House. They Kept Searching Anyway.
Three of the officers were denied qualified immunity, but accountability is a long way off.
Minnesota Poised to Pass Policing Bill That Would Restrict Asset Forfeiture and No-Knock Raids
The bill would limit petty seizures and require more reporting and oversight of no-knock raids.
Appeals Court Rules Aerial Police Tracking of Citizens Violates Fourth Amendment
Baltimore kept tabs on citizens' movement across 90 percent of the city, without a warrant, to investigate crimes.
Cops Say Encryption Hinders Investigations. These Documents Say Otherwise.
Law enforcers have plenty of tools; they just want to paw through our data without effort or expense.
SCOTUS Refuses 'To Print a New Permission Slip for Entering the Home Without a Warrant'
Fourth Amendment advocates win big in Lange v. California.
Cops Now Need a Warrant for 23andMe and AncestryDNA Searches in Maryland and Montana
Two states have passed laws requiring court approval before the cops can use genetic genealogy services to track down a suspect.
The FBI Returned This Innocent Couple's Safe Deposit Box. It Refuses To Give Back Many Others—and Is Trying To Seize $85 Million in Cash.
"It makes me feel like the government is preying on the vulnerable and the weak to line their own pockets."
Over 24 Cops Raided the Wrong Address and Wrecked an Elderly Man's Home. They All Got Qualified Immunity.
There will be no justice for Onree Norris.
Chicago Police Agree to Reforms After Wrong-Door Raid on a Naked Woman's Home Sparked Nearly 100 Misconduct Allegations
Some of the changes may make a difference. Others, not so much.
North Carolina Releases Body Camera Footage of Deputies Killing Fleeing Suspect
State investigators say shooting justified because Andrew Brown Jr. drove toward law enforcement to escape arrest.
Get a Warrant, Supreme Court Tells Cops Who Seized Guns From Home Without Due Process
Plus: On SATs and bias, what changed when Texas lifted its mask mandate, and more...
Watch a Cop Intentionally Damage a Car While Executing a Search Warrant
A Messina, New York, police officer is under investigation after video showed him intentionally slamming a door into a car several times.
Report: FBI Misused Foreign Surveillance Powers To Investigate Domestic Crimes
Section 702 is supposed to be used to snoop on spies and terrorists, not Americans.
A Phony Warrant, a Deadly Drug Raid, and a Barrel of Bad Apples in Houston
Did the city's "policies, customs or practices," invite Fourth Amendment violations?
Maryland Lawmakers Purge Decades-Old Law That Shielded Bad Cops
Over the objections of Gov. Larry Hogan, the state’s Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights is tossed out.
So Long as You Carry a Cellphone, the Government Can Track You
A phone in your pocket may as well be a GPS beacon strapped to your ankle.
Massachusetts Starts 2021 by Adopting a Process To Fire Bad Cops
The Bay State finally creates a police certification system.
Michigan Voters Demand That Police Get Warrants for Electronic Data
Constitutional amendment overwhelmingly passes.
End the War on Drugs
Drug prohibition turns police officers into enemies to be feared rather than allies to be welcomed.
Washington Post Journalist Radley Balko on Civil Rights, Militarized Policing, and the Power of Video
The Washington Post's Radley Balko was a pioneer in reporting on the disastrous consequences of police militarization and the need for criminal justice reform. Now everyone else is catching up.
Senators Propose a Cool New Contest To Destroy Your Online Privacy
A new, terrible anti-encryption bill with a twist
Amendment Revived to Protect Americans' Internet Search Records From Warrantless Collection
The House will consider a surveillance reform proposal that failed in the Senate by just one vote.
Senate Renews FBI Surveillance Powers With Modest Reforms
An effort by Sen. Rand Paul to forbid warrantless investigation of citizens was soundly defeated.
Senate Votes Down Protections Against Warrantless Government Collection of Americans' Browser and Search History
The amendment lost by one vote. Absent from today's vote? Sen. Bernie Sanders.
FISA Surveillance and Possible Reforms Are Back on the Senate's Agenda
The USA Freedom Act expired in March. Some senators are pushing for better privacy protections before the renewal vote.
The FBI Is Routinely Screwing Up FISA Warrants Targeting Americans
Carter Page was not an anomaly.
Will We See Real Surveillance Reform This Week?
The USA Freedom Act is about to sunset. Who will decide how and if it will be changed?
Rand Paul Says Trump Is Backing Surveillance Reform
Plus: Who's using Clearview AI?, court rules against Joe Arpaio, and more...
The FBI's Sloppy FISA Surveillance Is Exposed
The findings shared by Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed some rotten practices at the FBI and a major media blindspot.
Lawmakers Say the FBI's Problematic Carter Page Warrants Require Congressional Surveillance Reforms
A bipartisan coalition wants to restrain secret snooping and create more independent oversight of the secretive FISA Court.
Senators Propose Limits on Police Use of Facial Recognition
Some privacy activists say the bill still falls short.
The FBI Wants To Treat Carter Page Warrant Mistakes Like Training Problems. A Court Adviser Says That's Not Enough.
After seriously messing up its warrant applications with the FISA Court, can the FBI be trusted?
The FISA Court Wants Answers About the Problems with FBI's Carter Page Warrants
Judge demands to know what the agency will do prevent future “omissions” in the applications.
If You Think Encryption Back Doors Won't Be Abused, You May Be a Member of Congress
In the middle of a scandal over FISA surveillance, leaders want still more power to snoop on your secret stuff.
National Security Surveillance Apologists Are Starting to See the Light
Privacy advocates have long warned about potential abuses. Will the mishandling of the Carter Page investigation change some minds?
The FBI Will Be Audited To See How Frequently They Screw Up Other FISA Warrants
Was what happened with Carter Page an anomaly or does the agency regularly leave out important information?
Michael Bloomberg Plays Dumb About All the Criticism of His Stop-and-Frisk Support
He reversed position only as he decided to run for president and now seems surprised he’s getting asked about it.
Senators Introduce Bill To Limit Facial Recognition Technology—but Does It Go Far Enough?
The legislation would require warrants for extended surveillance, but look at what it explicitly OKs.
If You're Near the Scene of a Crime, Authorities Can Demand That Google Hand Over Your Data
Quiet fishing expeditions are being used to sort through potential suspects.