Privacy and Surveillance

The ACLU works to expand the right to privacy, increase the control individuals have over their personal information, and ensure civil liberties are not compromised by technological innovation.

Collage with imagery representing facial recognition biometrics and a child on a device with their face hidden and imagery of data

We are fighting for everyone’s right to privacy and freedom from excessive surveillance.

The lack of strong privacy laws endangers all of us — especially vulnerable communities like immigrants, protesters, and people seeking and providing reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare.

The ACLU advocates for modern data privacy laws and community awareness of excessive surveillance. We do this through our public records requests and ongoing engagement with state and local government.

The Latest

Press Release
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ACLU of Massachusetts Surveillance Discovery Project to help defense attorneys learn if surveillance tech was used to build a case against their clients

Defendants should know when police use digital surveillance technology such as facial recognition software or license plate trackers. Model discovery motions will help lawyers find out.
Issue Areas: Privacy and Surveillance, Criminal Justice Law Reform
News & Commentary
Collage of technology including a street camper, laptop, location pins and a blue decorative geometric shape.

Defendants should know when digital surveillance technology has been used to build the case against them. This toolkit will help their lawyers find out.

A toolkit to help defense attorneys defend their clients with expanding surveillance technology and protect our constitutional rights to privacy and due process.
Press Release
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ACLU of Massachusetts Releases New Toolkit to Help People Challenge Flock Cameras in Their Communities

New guide highlights the dangers of mass surveillance, offers practical steps to curb the use of automatic license plate readers by local police departments
Issue Areas: Privacy and Surveillance
News & Commentary
Orange background with graphics of eyes made from dark blue and light purple shapes. Below are rounded hills of binary code in light purple and dark blue

The big lie behind big tech’s anti-privacy campaign

Strong, enforceable privacy law is an essential ingredient to getting our nation and our democracy back on track.

Cases, Campaigns & Legislation

Campaign
Jul 2026

Surveillance Discovery Project

Model motions to help criminal defense attorneys identify and preserve information on police use of surveillance technology
Campaign
Apr 2026

Eyewear, Not Spywear!

Tech giant Meta is poised to add facial recognition technology to its AI glasses. This planned “name tag” feature would violate our privacy and liberty.
Campaign
Jul 2026

Data Privacy Now!

Today, technology has far outpaced privacy law. Data brokers and Big Tech are free to do almost anything they want with our personal information, including selling our cellphone location data on the open market. These practices endanger all of us, but especially vulnerable communities like immigrants, protesters, and people seeking and providing reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. Lawmakers must pass the Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act (H.4746) to give all Massachusetts residents robust privacy rights in the digital age.
Initiative
Jul 2026

Get The FLOCK Out: Community Advocacy Toolkit

With Flock Safety's license plate reader (LPR) technology, law enforcement agencies across the country can track Massachusetts drivers in real-time — without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Flock's nationwide data sharing model puts our civil rights and civil liberties at risk. Use our toolkit and conversation guide to advocate for change in your community, and check out ACLU's national resource guide for additional information.