Why PrivacySOS.org? | Privacy SOS

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The closing decades of the 20th century brought something new: the potential for mass surveillance, made possible by the evolution of computer technology. When the government responded to the attacks of 9/11 by enlisting that technology in the service of national security, the potential became reality.

Since 9/11, the government has directed dramatically expanded powers of surveillance at all of us, not just people suspected of wrongdoing. Our international phone calls, our emails, our financial records, our travel itineraries, and our images captured on digital cameras now swell a mountain of data that is being collected in the name of mining for suspicious patterns and associations.

But while the government has gained more and more power to watch us, it has largely kept us in the dark about what it is doing, building a new architecture of domestic surveillance, about which we know very little.

What must we know if we want to remain a free society? “PrivacySOS” shines sunlight on surveillance (SOS) and highlights actions you can take to protect your privacy.

Why does privacy matter? Take a look at this video to find out.

Please note that by playing this clip You Tube and Google will place a long-term cookie on your computer. Please see You Tube's privacy statement on their website and Google's privacy statement on theirs to learn more. To view the ACLU's privacy statement, click here.

How to use PrivacySOS.org

To your left, on most pages on the site, there are three block images: Privacy Matters, Sunlight on Surveillance, and Technologies of Control. The first takes you to our blog; the second, to our report; and the third, to a page containing information about surveillance technologies used in the United States.

At the top of the page there are links to resources for further information (under “Learn“), and links to pages where you can take action to defend your privacy (under “Act“). To understand further why this issue is so important, take at look at our FAQ page.

Please use this website, read the report and our blog, take action, and spread the word!