Privacy, Security, and Civil Liberties

Coalition Urges Senate to Protect Americans’ Privacy in Cybersecurity Legislation

cybersecurity-iconimage © Free PressYesterday ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter (PDF) urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

 
 

Letter Urging US Senate to Protect Americans' Privacy in Cybersecurity Legislation (June 25, 2013)

On June 25, 2013, ARL joined 37 other privacy and civil liberties organizations and companies in a letter urging the US Senate to adhere to a basic set of principles to protect Americans’ privacy when drafting its cybersecurity legislation.

pdf ltr-cybersecurity-privacy-25jun13.pdf

 
 

Over 100 Civil Liberties Organizations and Internet Companies Demand Full-Scale Congressional Investigation of NSA Surveillance

phone with sticker on it saying "this phone is tapped"image © François ProulxToday, dozens of civil liberties organizations and Internet companies—including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, ThoughtWorks, and Americans for Limited Government—have joined the coalition demanding that Congress initiate a full-scale investigation into the National Security Agency (NSA)’s surveillance programs. The coalition includes ARL, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, and many other organizations and companies concerned with privacy and civil liberties. 

 
 

Letter Asking Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to Urge Disclosure re NSA Surveillance (June 18, 2013)

On June 18, 2013, ARL joined with 33 other organizations in a letter to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board asking them to urge President Obama to order the public disclosure of information about National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance. The letter asks the board to urge disclosure of sufficient information to enable the public to understand the existing legal authorities for national security surveillance of Americans and the Obama administration’s interpretation of their scope, and to permit an informed public debate on government surveillance.

pdf ltr-to-privacy-civil-liberties-oversight-board-re-surveillance-18june2013.pdf

 
 

ARL Joins 86 Orgs, Internet Companies Demanding Committee Investigation, End to Dragnet Spying

phone with sticker on it saying "this phone is tapped"image © François ProulxYesterday, ARL joined with a broad, bipartisan coalition of 86 organizations and Internet companies—including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, reddit, Mozilla, and the American Civil Liberties Union—to send a letter to Congress demanding swift investigation and reform in light of the recent revelations about unchecked global surveillance.

 
 

Institute for Internet Culture, Policy & Law to Highlight Privacy, Accessibility

cornell-u-professional-studies-campusimage © CornellPrivacy and accessibility issues will be featured at this year's Cornell University Institute for Internet Culture, Policy, and Law (ICPL), to be held September 18–20, 2013, at Cornell. The oldest IT, law, and policy conference in the US, ICPL has broadened its reach to address rapidly evolving legal, policy, and social concerns related to Internet culture. The number of participants is limited to 50, allowing for in-depth exploration of topics. Faculty; higher ed administrators; academic librarians; and IT, legal, policy, and student life professionals debate, learn, and share ideas, experiences, and expertise at the three-day institute. 

 
 

ARL Applauds Judiciary Committee Action to Reform Privacy Laws

patrick-leahySenator Patrick Leahy
image © World Bank
On Thursday, April 25, the US Senate Judiciary Committee took another crucial step toward fixing outdated privacy laws by endorsing a bill proposed by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that includes vital reforms to give appropriate privacy protection to e-mail and cloud storage. The committee passed a similar bill in November 2012, but the legislative session ended before the measure could reach the full Senate. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) applauds Chairman Leahy and all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their strong, bipartisan support for reasonable privacy protections online.

 
 

Letter Urging Representatives to Vote ‘No’ on H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA) (Apr. 16, 2012)

We the undersigned organizations urge you to vote "no" on H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA). We are gravely concerned that this bill will allow companies that hold very sensitive and personal information to liberally share it with the government, which could then use the information without meaningful oversight for purposes unrelated to cybersecurity.

pdf aclu-coalition-cispa-16apr2012.pdf

 
       

Library Associations Statement On The USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009

On October 20, 2009, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Representatives Jerrold R. Nadler (D-NY) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R.3845). The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the American Library Association (ALA) believe that this bill contains necessary and important reforms to the powers created by the USA PATRIOT Act.

pdf us-patriot-statement-2009.pdf

 
       

Library Associations Urge Congress to Increase Oversight and Enhance Civil Liberties Protections In Reauthorizing Provisions of the USA PATRIOT

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) support including enhanced civil liberties and due process safeguards in the reauthorization of selected provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. When Congress last reauthorized these provisions in 2005, it recognized the need for oversight and sunsets to ensure that there would be an opportunity to revisit the Act and make necessary changes. Since then, Justice Department investigations have produced abundant evidence of the need for comprehensive reform of the Act. Congress should pass the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009 with key amendments to protect civil liberties.

pdf lib-assoc-statement-patriot-23sep09.pdf

 
   

Letter to Eric H. Holder Jr., Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Janet Napolitano re: Practice of "ideological exclusion" (Mar. 18, 2009)

Letter from interested organizations concerning the the practice of "ideological exclusion," refusing visas to foreign scholars, writers, artists, and activists not on the basis of their actions but on the basis of their ideas, political views, and associations.

pdf idex-coalition-letter-3-18-09.pdf

 
 

"Restoring the Rule of Law" Statement Submitted by ALA and ARL

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) submitted this statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing titled, "Restoring the Rule of Law" held on September 16, 2008.

pdf testimony-ruleoflaw-23sept08.pdf

 
       

Letter to Patrick Leahy re: Surveillance by the federal government of electronic information (Nov. 7, 2007)

Letter from NASULGC expressing support for efforts by the nation's librarians to require that any surveillance by the Federal government of the e-mails and other electronic information generated by library patrons be conducted only following issuance of a subpoena by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

pdf lt-leahy-surveillance-07nov07.pdf

 
 

"FISA Amendments: How to Protect Americans' Security and Privacy and Preserve the Rule of Law and Government Accountability" Statement Submitted by ALA and ARL

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) submitted this statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] Amendments: How to Protect Americans' Security and Privacy and Preserve the Rule of Law and Government Accountability" on October 31, 2007.

pdf fisa-statement-31oct07.pdf

 
 

Protecting Privacy & Intellectual Freedom in Libraries

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) (the "Libraries") seek language in the RESTORE Act and other FISA modernization proposals that ensures judicial review of law enforcement requests for library patron records or surveillance of library users through library networks.

pdf protecting-privacy-22oct07.pdf

 
 

Fix the Critical Infrastructure Information Subtitle in the Homeland Security Act of 2002

The undersigned organizations are concerned about the current language for Critical Infrastructure Information in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which contains ambiguous definitions that could unintentionally allow companies to keep broad categories of information secret and provisions that restrict the government's ability to use the information.

pdf fix-foia-statement-2002.pdf

 
 

The Protect America Act and Libraries

The Protect America Act (PAA) has broad implications for libraries and library users. As Congress considers amending the Act prior to its sunset, the library community (the "LC") asks that its interest, and those of its users, be protected in the final bill language by requiring a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ("FISC") to access the facilities of, or to obtain other information from, libraries in the United States.

pdf paa-and-libraries-5oct07.pdf

 
     

In the Matter of Petition for Expedited Rulemaking to Establish Technical Requirements and Standards Pursuant to Section 107(b) of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act: Joint Comments

Joint Comments Submitted on Behalf of American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy & Technology, Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Media Access Project, The Rutherford Institute, and the Voice On The Net (Von) Coalition.

pdf joint_comments_calea_25july07.pdf

 
 
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