Privacy Matters | Privacy SOS

Court Unseals Explosive FTC Allegations Against Location Data Broker

11/20/2023

A Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) complaint against data broker Kochava unsealed and published in early November reveals shocking new information about the company’s handling of extremely sensitive personal information pertaining to hundreds of millions of people in the United States. Among the explosive...
The WGA’s big win shows us the future of technology is unwritten

09/28/2023

For years now, conventional wisdom has warned that the rise of artificial intelligence and automation will put millions of people out of work. This assumption about the future of work has largely been accepted as a fact—unavoidable, even if troubling. Earlier this...
Your Car Knows Too Much: Reclaiming Privacy on the Roads

09/18/2023

Earlier this month, the Mozilla Foundation released a comprehensive report with an eye-opening overview of current data tracking practices within the automotive industry. Mozilla found that auto manufacturers are sucking up huge quantities of extremely sensitive data about motorists and their passengers,...
Here is how Boston’s police department uses surveillance technology

10/14/2022 - Law Reform, Mass Surveillance

Last year, the Boston City Council unanimously approved an ordinance giving the council control over how the Boston Police Department acquires and uses surveillance technology. Now, for the first time, the public can see a full list of all the surveillance technologies...
Boston’s surveillance ordinance is set to go into effect in August. Here’s what you need to know.

07/12/2022

Last year, the City of Boston voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will require community control over police surveillance (CCOPS). After being signed into law in November 2021, the ordinance is now set to go into effect in August 2022. Boston...
Mayor Janey: Stop Secret Surveillance in Boston!

05/26/2021 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Dissent, Freedom of Speech, Internet of Things, Mass Surveillance, Security Theater

UPDATE: Victory! Acting Mayor Janey pulled the plug on the RFP, thanks to your advocacy. When we fight, we win! A request for proposals (RFP) published on the City of Boston’s website in April, first reported by DigBoston, raises extremely alarming concerns...
Your Car’s Location Information Is Up For Grabs

04/14/2021

Last year, Joshua Wessel, a man in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was arrested for the June 2017 murder of Ronald French. Using data stored in Mr. French’s car, investigators identified Mr. Wessel as the person who gave voice instructions to the car’s infotainment system—a...
Victory! Massachusetts passes new protections for transit riders

01/25/2021

Thanks to the work of the ACLU of Massachusetts and coalition allies working with the MBTA, the Governor last week signed into law crucial new protections for transit riders. Included in omnibus transportation bond legislation approved by the Governor were two key...
Dissent is Not Terrorism: Bringing local, democratic control over police surveillance in Boston

11/01/2020 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, DHS, Dissent, FBI, Freedom of Speech, History, Law Reform, Mass Surveillance, New COINTELPRO, Police Militarization, Racism, Secrecy, Terror Wars, Youth Rights

Recent reporting from Los Angeles highlights the urgent need for city councils across the United States to take control of local government surveillance operations, subjecting police spying to democratic control, oversight, transparency, and public accountability. On November 10, Boston residents have an...
Bias All the Way Down: Research Shows Domino Effect When Humans Use Face Recognition Algorithms

09/22/2020 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Biometrics

Earlier this month, Portland, Oregon joined over a dozen other municipalities nationwide that have banned government use of face surveillance technology. And with a new study confirming that face recognition algorithms can influence human perceptions of faces, it’s become even clearer: police...