Category «Civil Liberties»

Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses

404 Media: “Apple removed an app for preserving TikToks, Instagram reels, news reports, and videos documenting abuses by ICE, 404 Media has learned. The app, called Eyes Up, differs from other banned apps such as ICEBlock which were designed to report sightings of ICE officials in real-time to warn local communities. Eyes Up, meanwhile, was …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

No, Trump Can’t Deploy Troops to Wherever He Wants

The New York Times Gift Article, Stephen I. Vladeck, a professor of law at Georgetown: “President Trump’s escalating efforts to deploy armed troops onto the streets of several American cities run by Democratic officials are raising a question courts have been all but completely able to avoid since the Constitution was drafted: Can presidents unleash …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Opt Out October: Daily Tips to Protect Your Privacy and Security

EFF: “Trying to take control of your online privacy can feel like a full-time job. But if you break it up into small tasks and take on one project at a time it makes the process of protecting your privacy much easier. This month we’re going to do just that. For the month of October, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

Amazon’s Ring plans to scan everyone’s face at the door

Washington Post: “For the first time, the company is adding facial recognition to its home security doorbells and video cameras. Facial recognition technology is increasingly used in airports, police investigations and sports venues. Now Amazon’s Ring says it’s putting facial recognition for the first time into its home security doorbells and video cameras. It’s intended …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Wired: “Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation. United States immigration authorities are moving to dramatically expand their social media surveillance, with plans to hire nearly 30 contractors to sift through posts, photos, and messages—raw material to be transformed …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Economy, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines, Social Media

Another effort to track ICE raids was just taken offline

MIT Technology Review: “People over Papers, a crowd-sourcing project that maps sightings of immigration agents, was taken offline yesterday by Padlet, the collaborative bulletin board platform on which it was built. It’s just the latest ICE-tracking initiative to be pulled by tech platforms in the past few days. A Padlet customer service representative told Celeste, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Legal Research

MAGA wages campaign to redefine “hate” after Kirk killing

Axios: “Hate crimes have hit record levels in the past few years. Analysts say antisemitic crimes rose again in 2024. MAGA activists are going after two of the nation’s most storied civil rights watchdogs, accusing them of smearing conservatives as extremists. MAGA leaders, backed by the Trump administration and Elon Musk, are trying to undermine the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

Trump administration knocks out at least 15 oversight websites, saying IGs ‘lied to the public’

NextGov/FCW – “At least 15 government oversight websites were down — and with them, access to watchdog reports and required hotline and whistleblower links — as of Wednesday evening. That’s not due to the federal shutdown that began at midnight; it’s a deliberate move by the White House, whose Office of Management and Budget is …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

Wired – no paywall: “On Wednesday, the first day of the US government shutdown, employees at the Department of Education (DOE) set their automatic out-of-office email responses to inform recipients that they would be unable to respond until after the shutdown. Hours later, many DOE employees realized their response message had been altered to contain …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

People’s Guide to the US Supreme Court: 2025-2026 Term

Democracy Forward: “The United States is in an existential fight for democracy. With so much on the line for millions of people, the Supreme Court remains a decisive arena. The new term begins on Monday, October 6, and will determine the role of this Court on attempts at unchecked power. The authoritarian threats from the Trump-Vance …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Courts, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Medicine

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

The New York Times Gift Article: “The White House on [October 1, 2025] sent letters to nine of the nation’s top public and private universities, urging campus leaders to pledge support for President Trump’s political agenda to help ensure access to federal research funds. The letters came attached to a 10-page “compact” that serves as …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Financial System, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Trump Publishes Enemies List To White House Website

TechDirt: “…Here’s how the administration leads into its hit list of Democratic politicians (emphasis in the original): The carnage in Dallas, Texas — where a maniac with “ANTI-ICE” ammo gunned down an ICE field office in an attack clearly targeted at ICE personnel — lays bare the deadly consequences of Democrats’ unhinged crusade against our border …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research