Privacy & Security

As technology provides new ways to gather information and databases proliferate, the need for privacy protections becomes more urgent.

Privacy & Security

What you need to know

1942-1946

President Franklin Roosevelt interned 120,000 Japanese Americans in the name of national 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.

security

Privacy & Civil Liberties

Throughout this country’s history, the phrase ‘national security’ has often been used as a pretext for massive violations of individual rights.

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The Latest

Press Release
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Five UPenn-affiliated Groups and Civil Liberties Attorneys Move to Join Lawsuit Opposing EEOC’s Demand for Jewish List

The ACLU of Pennsylvania, Democracy Defenders Fund, and Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin and Schiller filed a motion to intervene in EEOC v. The University of Pennsylvania on behalf of five organizations affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania.
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights, Privacy & Security
Court Cases: EEOC v. University of Pennsylvania
News & Commentary
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The Fourth Amendment must prevail

SB 912 accomplishes nothing that a warrant couldn’t currently provide. But by erasing any meaningful distinction between those arrested and those convicted, it succeeds in undermining constitutional rights to due process, counsel, and the presumption of innocence.
Press Release
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ACLU-PA Responds to DOJ’s Lawsuit Pressuring States to Turn Over Unredacted Voter Rolls

The ACLU-PA will stand with voters to protect their constitutional right to privacy against the federal government’s illegal fishing expedition for highly personal information.
Issue Areas: Voting Rights, Privacy & Security
Press Release
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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.
Issue Areas: Voting Rights, DERECHO AL VOTO, Privacy & Security
Court Cases: Costa v. Corman (Commonwealth v. Dush)
Initiative
Oct 2026

Get the Flock Out of PA

Automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are rapidly being installed throughout Pennsylvania but are virtually unregulated in our state. Many ALPR cameras, such as those made by the brand Flock Safety, are continuously collecting data that can be kept and accessed by law enforcement agencies across the country. In short, our daily movements are being tracked as we travel throughout the state. Learn more about ALPR cameras and what you can do to help protect privacy in our communities.