News & Commentary
Nov 27, 2013
Chicago Tribune: Woodstock cop's punishment angers parents
The Chicago Tribune wrote about a Woodstock police officer who used a law enforcement database to obtain private information about his girlfriend, and allegedly sent sexually inappropriate text messages to her 12 year old daughter. The Tribune spoke with ACLU of Illinois' Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka about this serious invasion of privacy.
Nov 12, 2013
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: State needs to get ahead of drones
The Chicago Sun-Times has an editorial today about the use of surveillance drones nationwide, and local efforts to place modest limits on their use by law enforcement. There were a whopping 96 bills related to drone surveillance in 42 states that came up this year alone. Illinois was one of eight states to pass drone regulation legislation -- a bill that was signed by Governor Pat Quinn this summer. Already, lawmakers are looking ahead to prepare for the next step in protecting our rights to privacy as surveillance technology advances.
Oct 31, 2013
Where's the Suspicion in Government's "Suspicious Activity" Reports?
In 2008, the federal government launched programs to collect so-called "Suspicious Activity Reports" around the country. Government documents obtained by the ACLU show that these programs have operated without adequate privacy safeguards or guidance on the definition of "suspicious activity," resulting, as we feared, in violations of Americans' First Amendment and privacy rights, as well as racial and religious profiling.
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