Surveillance
ACLU: Feds Using License Plates to Track Immigrants
The federal government’s immigration enforcement agency is using mass surveillance techniques to track immigrants and local police agencies are participating, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Read moreNinth Circuit Orders New Look at Mosque Surveillance Case
A Ninth Circuit panel resurrected a class action Thursday challenging the use of an FBI informant to infiltrate several Los Angeles and Orange County mosques and secretly collect information on Muslims for more than a year.
Read moreChicago’s Camera Network Helped Nail Alleged Smollett Ruse
Police tapped into Chicago’s vast network of surveillance cameras — and even some homeowners’ doorbell cameras — to track down two brothers who claimed they were paid by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to stage an attack on him, the latest example of the city’s high-tech approach to public safety.
Read moreDo Trump Tweets Compel Admission of Spying? Judge Will Decide
President Donald Trump’s tweets about the FBI wiretapping his 2016 campaign likely don’t qualify as an “official acknowledgment” that would require the government to reveal details about its surveillance activities, a federal judge said in court Wednesday.
Read moreNinth Circuit Upholds Use of Feds’ Terror-Reporting Tool
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld the government’s use of a terror-reporting tool that critics say puts innocent Americans on a watch list just for being Muslim or engaging in innocuous activities like taking photos in public.
Read moreFeds Accused of Withholding Social Media Surveillance Files
A public records lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to pry loose files on the government’s alleged mass surveillance and retention of people’s social media activities, a practice civil liberties watchdogs warn could chill free speech.
Read moreNYPD Denied Spy-Like Secrecy in Protest Case
Refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records may work for the CIA, but a judge refused Monday to let New York City use the tactic to keep protesters in the dark about police surveillance.
Read moreJudge Skewers NYC Lawyer on Surveillance-Tech Secrecy
A lawyer for New York City resisted pressure from a judge Tuesday to confirm or deny that the NYPD targeted protesters with cellphone-surveillance technology.
Read moreSaudi Friend of Khashoggi Sues Israeli Surveillance Company
A Saudi dissident has filed a lawsuit against an Israeli surveillance company, claiming its sophisticated spyware targeted him and helped lead to the killing of his friend, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Read moreHarassment of Immigrant Advocates Detailed in New Suit
Immigrant advocates charged the U.S. government in court Wednesday with illegal surveillance and harassment done in retaliation for their work organizing farmworkers.
Read moreJudge Finds Memphis Illegally Spied on Activists
A federal judge in Memphis ruled Friday that the city’s failure to properly train members of its police department caused it to violate a 1978 agreement not to collect political intelligence on activists exercising their First Amendment rights.
Read moreIncreased Surveillance, Stiffer Penalties at Heart of Wildlife Trafficking Fight
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday the $90 million the United States recently committed combat wildlife trafficking will pay for mutli-pronged program that includes increased surveillance at poaching hotspots and stiffer criminal penalties for those caught trafficking endangered and protected species.
Read moreFeds Defend Terror Reporting Tool at the Ninth Circuit
Arguing before a Ninth Circuit panel Thursday, a U.S. government lawyer defended an anti-terrorism program that critics say puts innocent Americans on a watch list just for being Muslim or engaging in innocuous activities like taking photos in public.
Read moreCourt Holds British Surveillance Violates European Law
Europe’s human rights court handed a partial victory Thursday to civil rights groups that challenged the legality of mass surveillance practices exposed by American whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Read moreACLU, Memphis Police Trial Reveals Public Surveillance
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and the City of Memphis. On Monday, lawyers for the two sides began what is expected to be a four-day bench trial over whether the city violated a 1978 consent decree promising that it would not collect political intelligence on its citizens.
Read moreLithuania Warns Russian Taxi App Could Be Snooping on Users
Lithuanian authorities are “strongly” urging consumers, especially public servants, not to install the app of a popular Russian taxi-booking service because it may unlawfully be collecting user data.
Read moreTrump to Demand DOJ Review Claims of FBI Spy on Campaign
President Donald Trump says he’ll demand that the Justice Department review whether it or the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign for political purposes and whether any demands or requests came from the Obama administration.
Read moreEx-Fox News Host Loses Claim of Network Spying
A federal judge called ex-Fox News host Andrea Tantaros’ allegations that the network spied on her “vague, speculative, and conclusory,” throwing out the lawsuit on Friday.
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