News & Commentary

Every day, we learn about new data breaches caused by inadequate security, faulty and exploitable systems, or intentional attempts to obtain sensitive data by malicious actors or hackers. Whether a case of negligence or malfeasance, there is one constant in these stories: sensitive information, often personal information, gets compromised. And when that information falls into the wrong hands or is misused, it can have profoundly damaging effects – especially on our young people.Our laws give companies broad discretion to collect, use, and sh

It was another busy summer in Springfield this session. With the budget impasse looming, our legislative efforts at times felt insurmountable. Luckily, to the benefit of our great state and all of its residents, we were able to advance critical measures that set new precedents for civil liberties and human rights in Illinois. Here is a brief roundup of some of the bills we worked on, and the progress we made:

The Chicago Sun Times posted a story this weekend detailing Chicago Police Department activities aimed at monitoring the activities of protest groups, especially African American groups, in the aftermath of the release of the Laquan MacDonald video in November 2015. The Sun Times story describes the CPD making “plans to have undercover officers spy on protest groups.” The following can be attributed to Karen Sheley of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:

The International Business Times spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Legislative Director Mary Dixon about privacy concerns over biometrics – facial recognition technology used by applications including Facebook. Biometrics track unique human characteristics as a way to identify a specific individual. Facebook uses biometrics to automatically suggest specific people to tag in photos uploaded by its users. In 2008, the ACLU of Illinois lobbied to pass the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) which created important regulations on the use of biometric information including guidelines for required consent and prohibiting the sale of biometric data for profit. Because the technological landscape has shifted since 2008, privacy advocates are concerned that BIPA does not have the legal legs necessary to win against Facebook in court. Dixon says:

Adam Schwartz was interviewed about fusion centers for Reason TV. Fusion centers are state or local law enforcement agencies that gather and store information about people suspected of criminal activity, and share that information with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.  In 2012, the ACLU of Illinois released a report on "Fusion Centers in Illinois" which found that the two fusion centers operating in Illinois at the time lacked some critical safeguards to protect the privacy of Illinois residents. Watch the segment below:

The Associated Press (via the Pantagraph) published an article about the bill (HB 3289) that aims to regulate the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in Illinois. ALPRs are cameras mounted on police cars that are able to scan the license plate of every car that passes by. The system records the plate, and stores date, time and GPS location of each passing vehicle. ALPRs have the capability of enabling police to undertake widespread, systematic location surveillance, yet are currently unregulated in Illinois. A bill sponsored by State Representative Peter Breen would place modest regulations on the user of ALPRs needed to prevent abuse and protect the privacy of innocent motorists. The Associated Press spoke with ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka:

In These Times published an overview of current tactics being used by police forces in Illinois that have the power to monitor the everyday activity of innocent people. Along with stingrays and facial recognition technology, police officers across the state have been utilizing automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) to track the location and behavior of criminal suspects.

In These Times spoke with ACLU Senior Staff Attorney Adam Schwartz about legislation the ACLU supports, Senate Bill 1753, which will place modest regulations on the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) by Illinois law enforcement. ALPRs are cameras mounted on police cars which scan and record the license plates, and store the dates, times and GPS locations of every vehicle in its vicinity.

In These Times has an ongoing investigative series called "We Surveil and Protect" that looks at the surveillance activities of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). This article highlights inconsistencies in the data released by the CPD regarding police use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). ALPRs are cameras mounted on the dashboards of police cars and are used to scan the license plates of every car in its vicinity, regardless of whether or not the driver is suspected of criminal activity. The data scanned by the ALPR are stored in a database, and can be shared with other law enforcement agencies across state lines. The power of the CPD to surveil citizens is completely unregulated, which is why the ACLU of Illinois has worked with State Senator Daniel Biss to draft a bill - Senate Bill 1753 - that would place modest regulations on the use of ALPRs in Illinois. In These Times reports: