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Most Recent Updates

Bill to Regulate Drones Passes Washington State House with Strong Bipartisan Support

News Release, Published: 
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Washington State House has passed HB 2789, a bill which puts reasonable regulations in place for government use of drones in Washington state. The measure passed overwhelmingly with strong bipartisan support by an 83-15 vote.
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Taking DNA Upon Arrest: Ineffective, Expensive, and Unconstitutional

Document, Published: 
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
SB 6314 would allow the collection of DNA samples from arrestees who have not yet been convicted of any crime. But this kind of DNA collection has not reduced crime in the states that have tried it. Analyzing the DNA of every felony arrestee is expensive, exacerbates crime lab backlogs, unfairly targets communities of color, and takes samples from large numbers of people who are unlikely to commit future crimes.
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Balancing Police Oversight and Privacy: ACLU Offers Recommendations for Body Cams

Published: 
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Police departments across the state have adopted or are looking to buy on-officer recording systems, or “body cameras,” to provide oversight for law enforcement. These cameras can be very beneficial for accountability to prevent or identify police misconduct. But, they also pose risks to privacy for those captured in the recordings.
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Surveillance: Spokane Acts to Protect Privacy and Provide Transparency

Published: 
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Spokane City Council has passed an ordinance that will require Council approval to acquire and use some new surveillance equipment, such as drones and camera networks. We hope that more communities throughout Washington will consider passing similar oversight mechanisms with even stronger provisions and protections.
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"You Are Being Tracked": ACLU Report Finds the Government Knows Where You Are Driving

Published: 
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
A national ACLU report on license plate tracking by law enforcement confirms that the problems we identified locally are reflected in communities throughout the U.S. Our study found that few police departments in Washington place any substantial restrictions on how the location information may be used.
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A victory for online privacy!

Published: 
Thursday, May 23, 2013
On Tuesday, the state legislature gave Washingtonians something to celebrate.  Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law new privacy protections for social media account passwords.  
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Speech and Privacy Protections Must Keep Pace with New Technology

Published: 
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Having recently started as the new Technology and Liberty Director at the ACLU of WA, I’d like to tell you how I think about technology and some of the key issues I hope to focus on in the coming months and years.
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ACLU Urges City Council to Put Teeth into Surveillance Law, Delay Vote to Add Auditing Process

News Release, Published: 
Monday, March 18, 2013
The ACLU of Washington welcomes the proposal to establish a process for the acquisition of surveillance technology by the City of Seattle. Transparency and opportunities for public input are essential , as we have seen recently with controversies generated by the City’s acquisition of drones and  also a system of surveillance cameras and a mesh network.
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Protect privacy as Seattle Police drones take off

Published: 
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Seattle can become a national leader in establishing tight regulations for police drones. City leaders should seize the opportunity without delay.
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