In Some Cities, Police Go From Stop-and-Frisk to Stop-and-Spit

By Lauren Kirchner / ProPublica Sep 12, 2016 Police in Florida and other states are building up DNA databases, in part by collecting voluntary samples from people not charged with—or even suspected of—any particular crime. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Mass Aerial Surveillance Is a Growing Orwellian Concern in the United States

Thor Benson / Truthdig Sep 8, 2016 The federal government has been equipping planes with monitoring devices for some time. But how far will law enforcement agencies go in order to watch citizens? Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Supreme Court’s Male Justices Violate Fourth Amendment Over Sonia Sotomayor’s Devastating Dissent

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Jun 23, 2016 Justice Sotomayor’s heartfelt bid to do away with racial profiling once and for all was thwarted by the high court’s male contingent. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

An Appeals Court Just Robbed Us of Our Cellphone Privacy

Staff / Truthdig Jun 1, 2016 Judges ruled that police and federal authorities are free to seek the location data of cellphone users from telecommunications companies without obtaining a search warrant. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Apple’s Tim Cook

Staff / Truthdig Feb 19, 2016 This week, it's a no-brainer. Tim Cook is our Truthdigger of the Week for his willingness to take on the "1984"-like security state with a statement of principle on behalf of privacy. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Court Ruling Builds a Barrier Against Challenges to NSA Spying on Americans

Thor Benson / Truthdig Sep 5, 2015 Rights advocates say an impossible standard is being imposed for the opponents of the federal government’s mass collection of telephone records. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

It’s Not Just the NSA — the IRS Is Reading Your Emails Too

Thor Benson / Truthdig Jul 10, 2015 Once your emails reach the tender age of 180 days, government agencies can easily gain access to them without your even knowing it. The Email Privacy Act would change that. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Privacy Is Freedom

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jul 5, 2015 In an excerpt from his new book, Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer points to Chief Justice John Roberts' decision in SCOTUS' 2014 cell phone wiretapping case, which affirmed that the ideas embodied in the Fourth Amendment represent the basic idea that sparked the American Revolution. In an excerpt from his new book, Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer points to Chief Justice John Roberts' decision in SCOTUS' 2014 cell phone wiretapping case, which affirmed that the ideas embodied in the Fourth Amendment represent the basic idea that sparked the American Revolution. Dig deeper ( 27 Min. Read )

VIDEO: Robert Scheer: Plundering Our Freedom With Abandon (Part 3 of 10)

Staff / Truthdig Jun 19, 2015 Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer discusses his father’s thirst for freedom, how opportunities abound in the worst of times and the reasons why the Fourth Amendment is still important today. All this in the third installment of The Real News Network's show “Reality Asserts Itself.” Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

Why the ACLU’s Big Victory Against NSA Surveillance Falls Short

Bill Blum / Truthdig May 12, 2015 A federal court ruling that the National Security Agency’s vast telephone metadata collection program is illegal is a clear advance for civil liberties, but it doesn't go far enough. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

FBI’s Proposals for Mandatory Tech Security ‘Back Doors’ Are Slammed by Bipartisan Committee

Carey Shenkman / Truthdig Apr 30, 2015 The U.S. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform considered Wednesday whether Congress should pass laws requiring companies to add "back doors" to their tech products. In other words, the FBI wants a way to get into consumer data that theoretically only law enforcement—and not hackers—can exploit. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Robert Scheer: ‘Disturbing the Government Is an Obligation of Citizenship’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Apr 20, 2015 In a discussion with C-SPAN about the spying and civil liberty matters at the heart of his new book, Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer says that "the word is not 'privacy,' it's really 'sovereignty.' " Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )