Raising the Alarm Over Devices That Let Police Snoop Into Our Homes

Thor Benson / Truthdig Feb 23, 2015 With the proliferation of technology allowing law enforcement agencies to observe people through walls, we may be entering an era where the word “transparency” takes on a new meaning.With the proliferation of technology allowing police to observe people through walls, we may be entering an era where the word “transparency” takes on a new meaning. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Aaron Swartz Can’t Fight the New Cybersecurity Bill, So We Must Do It

By Thor Benson Jul 13, 2014 A year-and-a-half after Swartz killed himself because of pressure from felonies he faced over alleged “cyber crimes,” the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act is set to give the government the power to collect and share content from emails, texts or other written communications without a warrant, ACLU adviser Gabe Rottman says.CISA is set to give the government the power to collect and share content from emails, texts or other written communications without a warrant, ACLU adviser Gabe Rottman says. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Shredding the Fourth Amendment in Post-Constitutional America

By Peter Van Buren, TomDispatch Jun 27, 2014 The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the people from their government. If the First Amendment’s right to speak out publicly was the people's wall of security, then the Fourth Amendment’s right to privacy was its buttress. It was once thought that the government should neither be able to stop citizens from speaking nor peer into their lives. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

One Court, Indivisible, Votes Liberty and Justice For All

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jun 26, 2014 Wednesday’s unanimous Supreme Court decision affirming the right to privacy is a reminder that support as well as opposition to civil liberty these days can come from unexpected quarters.Wednesday's unanimous Supreme Court decision affirming the right to privacy is a reminder that support as well as opposition to civil liberty these days can come from unexpected quarters. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Israeli Drama: From Presidents Dodging Taxes to Millionaire Rabbis Bribing Officials

Staff / Truthdig Jan 22, 2014 Two new scandals have emerged from the Middle East; a hole larger than the Grand Canyon has been discovered under an Antarctic glacier; meanwhile, nobody is even bothering to pretend Obama's NSA speech was any good. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

No Need to Cyberspy; Government Officials Can Simply Confiscate Your Laptop

Staff / Truthdig Jan 3, 2014 With all the leaks revealed thanks to whistle-blower Edward Snowden, we're finally all pretty aware that most of our digital data is impossible to keep private. But did you know, even without fancy software, border officials can seize your computer whenever they feel like it? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Judge Richard Leon’s Anti-NSA Ruling May Not Be All You Think It Is

Bill Blum / Truthdig Dec 20, 2013 I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on the celebration, but at least two cautions are warranted about federal Judge Richard Leon’s surprising opinion declaring that the NSA’s telephone metadata program likely violates the Fourth Amendment. I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on the celebration, but at least two cautions are warranted about federal Judge Richard Leon’s surprising opinion declaring that the NSA’s telephone metadata program likely violates the Fourth Amendment. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama Wrongs the Bill of Rights

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Dec 19, 2013 Adopted on Dec. 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights comprises the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. While praising it last week and ticking through "our most fundamental rights," President Obama failed to mention the Fourth Amendment. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

ACLU Argues Bulk Gathering Violates Rights

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Nov 24, 2013 Civil liberties campaigners with the ACLU told a New York court Friday that the NSA's dragnet collection of U.S. phone records violates constitutional rights to freedom of association and privacy. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

NSA Isn’t Alone: Secret Government Program Embeds AT&T Workers in Drug Squads

BLANK Sep 2, 2013 The federal government has been paying AT&T to place some of its workers on drug-investigation teams since 2007 to give police instant access to millions of private phone records without court-signed subpoenas. The Obama administration says it's no big deal; the ACLU disagrees. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Attempts to Protect Privacy Have a Long History

Staff / Truthdig Aug 23, 2013 There are a growing number of privacy tools available today, but efforts to keep personal information safe are nothing new. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

On DNA, Scalia Was Right

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Jun 14, 2013 The words "Antonin Scalia was right" do not flow easily for me. But the court's most uncompromising conservative was correct when he issued a dire-sounding warning from the bench: "Make no mistake about it: Because of today's decision, your DNA can be taken and entered into a national database if you are ever arrested, rightly or wrongly, and for whatever reason." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )