The State Journal-Register posted an opinion piece on the new bill, House Bill 3944, which would end the Illinois Eavesdropping Act. The bill, sponsored by Representative Elaine Nekrtiz, would allow citizens to record police activity in a public place - an activity which, under the current law, would result in felony charges. The ACLU of Illinois is advocating for the passage of the bill because it is an infringement on First Amendment rights to gather & disseminate public information.

These days, most of us have the ability to record our surroundings anytime with our cell phones. We’d bet that, before hearing about the Tiawanda Moore case, most people had no idea that hitting the “record” command on their iPhone could get them into such serious trouble.

And suppose you believe a crime is being committed when you start recording? As Moore learned, your word doesn’t matter if a prosecutor decides to bring charges. Then it’s up to a jury, probably following a trial that is very expensive for you.

Read the whole thing.

On Thursday, February 9th, the ACLU of Illinois will join with other concerned groups and individuals from across Cook County to oppose bills that would gut a County ordinance that limits County assistance to the federal Bureau for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Most importantly, the current Cook County ordinance requires the Sheriff to decline ICE “detainers” – that is, requests from ICE to continue to hold a person that the Sheriff plans to release, merely because ICE suspects the person might be an undocumented immigrant. A detainer lasts 48 hours – or five days if it falls over a holiday weekend. These ICE detainers have resulted in many thousands of individuals – including American citizens – being detained for excessive periods of time after arrest for minor offenses.

ACLU of Illinois senior staff counsel Adam Schwartz will tell the Cook County Board that no changes should be made to this ordinance. Indeed, the ACLU notes that detainers cause a serious violation to the 4th and 5th amendments, since individuals are seized and held without any warrant or probable cause, and are allowed no hearing to challenge their detention. These policies fall most heavily on Latinos, and can have a devastating impact on families and jobs.

The Cook County ordinance has come under a barrage of attacks since an incident in which an individual charged with a fatal DUI fled the country after being released on bail. But that tragic episode cannot justify participation by Cook County government in ICE detainers that violate the civil liberties of thousands of people.

We will continue to update you on this issue.

Americans increasingly are using online social networks in order to communicate with family and friends, share photos and news and express their own political views. Increasingly, private interests (and government entities) try to get access to this personal information for a variety of purposes -- from marketing to surveillance. All of us need tools to protect our personal information.

Representative LaShawn Ford has proposed House Bill 3782 which simply says that a prospective employer cannot ask an applicant for the passwords and user names of their social network sites. This is common sense. Employers can set reasonable policies about the use of such networks during office hours, but asking for access to personal information before an applicant is hired is just too big an intrusion.

Contact your state representative today and urge support for House Bill 3782