Privacy and Surveillance
FBI v. Fikre
Whether the government can overcome the voluntary cessation exception to mootness by removing an individual from the No Fly List when the government has not repudiated its decision to place him on the List and remains free to return him to the List for the same reasons and using the same procedures he alleges were unlawful.
Status: Ongoing
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U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022
Privacy and Surveillance
+2 Issues
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.
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36 Privacy and Surveillance Cases
Virginia
Aug 2026
Privacy and Surveillance
National Security
In Re: Application of The United States Of America for an Order Pursuant To 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d)
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Virginia
Aug 2026
Privacy and Surveillance
National Security
In Re: Application of The United States Of America for an Order Pursuant To 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d)
New York
Apr 2024
Privacy and Surveillance
ACLU v. NSA — FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Court Opinions Addressing Section 702 Surveillance
ACLU v. NSA seeks to compel the government to disclose recent court opinions concerning spying conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — one of the most sweeping surveillance authorities ever enacted by Congress. Public access to these records is essential for an informed debate as Congress considers whether to reform or reauthorize this surveillance law ahead of its sunset in December 2023.
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New York
Apr 2024
Privacy and Surveillance
ACLU v. NSA — FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Court Opinions Addressing Section 702 Surveillance
ACLU v. NSA seeks to compel the government to disclose recent court opinions concerning spying conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — one of the most sweeping surveillance authorities ever enacted by Congress. Public access to these records is essential for an informed debate as Congress considers whether to reform or reauthorize this surveillance law ahead of its sunset in December 2023.
Court Case
Apr 2024
Privacy and Surveillance
ACLU v. DOJ: FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Information on Federal Agencies’ Surveillance of Social Media
Federal government agencies are increasingly engaging in social media surveillance: that is, the collection, monitoring, and retention of individuals’ online speech, activities, and associations. Publicly available information shows that several federal agencies are investing in technology and systems that enable the programmatic and sustained tracking of social media information on U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. Once government agencies collect this information, they may share it or use it to influence immigration decisions. This surveillance also raises the risk that people will be wrongly investigated or placed on government watchlists.
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Court Case
Apr 2024
Privacy and Surveillance
ACLU v. DOJ: FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Information on Federal Agencies’ Surveillance of Social Media
Federal government agencies are increasingly engaging in social media surveillance: that is, the collection, monitoring, and retention of individuals’ online speech, activities, and associations. Publicly available information shows that several federal agencies are investing in technology and systems that enable the programmatic and sustained tracking of social media information on U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. Once government agencies collect this information, they may share it or use it to influence immigration decisions. This surveillance also raises the risk that people will be wrongly investigated or placed on government watchlists.
Massachusetts Supreme Court
Nov 2023
Privacy and Surveillance
+2 Issues
Commonwealth v. Arrington
In this amicus brief, the ACLU and its coalition partners urged robust application of the legal standard governing the admissibility of expert testimony and technical evidence, especially in cases involving opaque or proprietary algorithms.
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Massachusetts Supreme Court
Nov 2023
Privacy and Surveillance
+2 Issues
Commonwealth v. Arrington
In this amicus brief, the ACLU and its coalition partners urged robust application of the legal standard governing the admissibility of expert testimony and technical evidence, especially in cases involving opaque or proprietary algorithms.
California
Oct 2023
Privacy and Surveillance
Wagafe v. USCIS - Lawsuit Challenging Secret Program Blocking Immigrant Applications
The ACLU and its affiliates in Southern California and Washington, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the Law Offices of Stacy Tolchin, and Perkins Coie LLP filed a class action lawsuit in January 2017 challenging a federal government program used to deny or indefinitely delay thousands of law-abiding people—many of them from Muslim-majority countries—from becoming citizens or lawful residents due to unspecified “national security concerns.”
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California
Oct 2023
Privacy and Surveillance
Wagafe v. USCIS - Lawsuit Challenging Secret Program Blocking Immigrant Applications
The ACLU and its affiliates in Southern California and Washington, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the Law Offices of Stacy Tolchin, and Perkins Coie LLP filed a class action lawsuit in January 2017 challenging a federal government program used to deny or indefinitely delay thousands of law-abiding people—many of them from Muslim-majority countries—from becoming citizens or lawful residents due to unspecified “national security concerns.”