Privacy & Security

Privacy & Security

The technological advances that have brought enormous benefits to humankind also make us more vulnerable than ever before to unwanted snooping. As technology provides new ways to gather information and databases proliferate, the need for privacy protections becomes more urgent.

From using the telephone to seeking medical treatment to applying for a job or sending an e-mail, Americans' right to information privacy is in peril. Personal and business information is being digitized through an ever-expanding number of computer networks in formats that allow data to be linked, transferred, shared and sold, usually without our knowledge or consent.

The Latest

Resource
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What the First Amendment means for government posts on social media

Know Your Rights
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What the First Amendment Means for Government Posts on Social Media

Here's how the First Amendment impacts how government agencies and officials can interact with you on social media.
Podcast
Logo Speaking Freely

Information democracy and activist librarians

Libraries are a critical institution for supporting the freedom to read and freedom of thought. In the United States, libraries have been terribly underfunded for years, and now they’re being targeted by extremist activists for fulfilling their fundamental mission - to promote access to ideas.
Press Release
ACLU-PA logo

ACLU-PA Statement in Response to Commonwealth Court Ruling in Election Review Case

HARRISBURG - A series of lawsuits challenging subpoenas issued by the Pennsylvania Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee will continue, after a ruling today from Commonwealth Court denying “summary relief” to all parties in the litigation.
Court Case
Oct 04, 2021

Costa v. Corman (Commonwealth v. Dush)

On October 4, 2021, the ACLU of PA filed a motion to intervene on behalf of three advocacy organizations and eight individual voters in a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania attorney general challenging subpoenas issued by a state Senate committee for personally identifying information of voters.
Court Case
Mar 10, 2020

Harrington v. UPMC and Allegheny County

On March 11, 2020, the Law Offices of Timothy P. O’Brien and the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a class action lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Allegheny County on behalf of Cherell Harrington, a resident of the county.
Court Case
Nov 20, 2019

Commonwealth v. Davis

If a defendant in a criminal case refuses to disclose the password to his encrypted computer, does either the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution or Article 1, Section 9 of the Pennsylvania Constitution protect him so that he does not have to reveal it?
Court Case
Jul 07, 2017

ACLU of Pennsylvania v. Pennsylvania State Police