Civil Liberties
177 Articles
New Approach After Charlottesville Violence Protects Public Safety While Preserving Rights
When right-wing nationalists try to weaponize the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, states can use their own constitutional and statutory provisions to prohibit private…
What Not To Believe About Interpol—Exploding Five Myths
If Interpol is to be fixed so that it operates according to its own rules, it is necessary to know the difference between how it actually works, and the myths that are widely believed.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s Disappointing Report on PPD-28 Implementation
Edward Snowden’s revelations that the NSA engaged in massive spying operations overseas prompted outrage and political blowback from our closest allies. In an attempt to manage…
European Counter-Terrorism Approaches: A Slow and Insidious Erosion of Fundamental Rights
A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, titled, “Europe to Terrorists: It’s No More Monsieur Nice Guy,” praised the robustness of the recent European approach to counterterrorism,…
On Big Brother Watch v. U.K.: The Future of Surveillance at Two Europe-Wide Courts
A recent opinion by the European Court of Human Rights was more limited than recent decisions concerning surveillance. The European Court of Justice should seize the opportunity…
Brennan’s Due Process Case Against the White House
In an unprecedented move, the White House announced that President Donald Trump was revoking the security clearance of John Brennan, the CIA director in the Obama administration.…
France’s Creeping Terrorism Laws Restricting Free Speech
French prosecutors have been aggressively pursuing anyone who speaks positively of a terrorist act or group even if their intention is not to incite violence or promote the group.
Happy PATRIOT Act Day!
On this day, 16 years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the most sweeping, publicly acknowledged domestic surveillance authority in American history. Enacted six weeks…
Surveillance “Reform”: The Fourth Amendment’s Long, Slow, Goodbye
Over 16 years after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent repeated passage or renewal of draconian “temporary” but “emergency” domestic surveillance laws in response, it’s…
The Investigatory Powers Act: The Official Entrenchment of Far-Reaching Surveillance Powers
What was formerly known as the Investigatory Powers Bill, referred to elsewhere as the “revised Snoopers’ Charter,” has received Royal Assent and, as of Nov. 29,…
Is Throwing a Rock Through a Window “Terrorism”? Some Federal Prosecutors Think So
Image by Tomas Castelazo— Wikimedia Did you know that throwing a rock through the window of a Whole Foods could be punished as a federal crime of terrorism? An Assistant United…
Donald Trump and the Ghosts of Joseph McCarthy
Following the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, presumptive Republican presidential nominee and celebrity businessman Donald Trump repeatedly implied that President…