Privacy & Technology
FBI v. Fazaga
In a case scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 8, 2021, three Muslim Americans are challenging the FBI’s secret spying on them and their communities based on their religion, in violation of the Constitution and federal law. In what will likely be a landmark case, the plaintiffs — Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik, and Yasser Abdelrahim — insist that the FBI cannot escape accountability for violating their religious freedom by invoking “state secrets.” The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the ACLU of Southern California, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Council for American Islamic Relations, and the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2018
Privacy & Technology
Carpenter v. United States
The Supreme Court ruled that the government needs a warrant to access a person’s cellphone location history. The court found in a 5 to 4 decision that obtaining such information is a search under the Fourth Amendment and that a warrant from a judge based on probable cause is required.
Court Case
Dec 2016
Privacy & Technology
Sarkar v. Doe - PubPeer Subpoena Challenge
The ACLU filed a motion in Michigan state court challenging the constitutionality of a subpoena issued to the website PubPeer demanding that it turn over the identities of anonymous commenters. In March 2015, the trial judge ruled that PubPeer had to unmask one – but only one – of the commenters. Both PubPeer and the researcher appealed, and the ruling was upheld in December 2016.
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82 Privacy & Technology Cases
New York
Jul 2022
Privacy & Technology
ACLU v. Department of Homeland Security (commercial location data FOIA)
In December 2020, the ACLU and NYCLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about their practice of purchasing cell phone location data collected from smartphone apps.
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New York
Jul 2022
Privacy & Technology
ACLU v. Department of Homeland Security (commercial location data FOIA)
In December 2020, the ACLU and NYCLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about their practice of purchasing cell phone location data collected from smartphone apps.
Illinois
May 2022
Privacy & Technology
ACLU v. Clearview AI
The ACLU, ACLU of Illinois, and the law firm Edelson PC filed a lawsuit on May 28, 2020 against Clearview AI alleging violation of Illinois residents’ privacy rights under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs in the case are the ACLU and ACLU of Illinois, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago, Illinois Public Interest Research Group, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción, who sue on behalf of their members, clients, and program participants.
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Illinois
May 2022
Privacy & Technology
ACLU v. Clearview AI
The ACLU, ACLU of Illinois, and the law firm Edelson PC filed a lawsuit on May 28, 2020 against Clearview AI alleging violation of Illinois residents’ privacy rights under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs in the case are the ACLU and ACLU of Illinois, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago, Illinois Public Interest Research Group, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción, who sue on behalf of their members, clients, and program participants.
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
Van Buren v. United States
Whether the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) should be interpreted to create liability for violations of computer use policies, including website terms of service.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
Van Buren v. United States
Whether the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) should be interpreted to create liability for violations of computer use policies, including website terms of service.
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
Robert Andrews v. State of New Jersey
Whether the Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment protects an individual from being compelled to recall and truthfully disclose a memorized smartphone passcode, where communicating the passcode may lead to the discovery of incriminating evidence to be used against him in a criminal prosecution?
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U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
Robert Andrews v. State of New Jersey
Whether the Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment protects an individual from being compelled to recall and truthfully disclose a memorized smartphone passcode, where communicating the passcode may lead to the discovery of incriminating evidence to be used against him in a criminal prosecution?
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
National Security
Merchant v. Mayorkas
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU of Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without warrants at the U.S. border.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Privacy & Technology
National Security
Merchant v. Mayorkas
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU of Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without warrants at the U.S. border.