Kade Crockford writes: This summer ACLU affiliates all around the country filed open-records requests seeking information about how government agencies are using automated license plate readers. One set of records, released this week to the ACLU of Massachusetts by the police department here in Boston, provides a snapshot of the data-collection practices that are taking place around the…
Category: U.S.
Agencies Properly Withheld Social Networking Info – Court
Nick McCain reports on a ruling in the Electronic Frontier Foundation v. Department of Defense: A federal judge ruled mostly in favor of government agencies in a Freedom of Information action where privacy advocates sought documents related to law enforcement’s use of social networking websites in criminal investigations. The judge ordered the FBI and ICE…
Fifth Circuit Cell-Site Case: Magistrate Judge Smith Responds and Defends His Decision
Orin Kerr writes: Although I wasn’t planning to post any more on the Fifth Circuit cell-site case, I happened to notice that Magistrate Judge Smith recently posted a new essay on SSRN that is in significant part a response to my amicus brief and my criticisms of his decision. I thought it only fair to point readers…
New Justice Department Documents Show Huge Increase in Warrantless Electronic Surveillance
Naomi Gilens writes: Justice Department documents released today by the ACLU reveal that federal law enforcement agencies are increasingly monitoring Americans’ electronic communications, and doing so without warrants, sufficient oversight, or meaningful accountability. The documents, handed over by the government only after months of litigation, are the attorney general’s 2010 and 2011 reports on the use of “pen register”…