Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

ACLU's 'Spy Files' to Keep Tabs on Illegal Government Surveillance

by Ben Deitz on July 1, 2010 at 10:15 AM

Spy files and Spy vs. SptThe American Civil Liberties Union has recently launched 'Spy Files', a new website focused on illegal domestic surveillance. The site aims to make the extent of the government's spying on its own citizens public information. The information will include, "Freedom of Information Act requests, ACLU lawsuits and reports, and news accounts." The ACLU debuted the website along with a report showcasing examples of illegal law enforcement surveillance that have taken place since 9/11. Such examples include military spying on a Veterans for Peace lecture in New York, as well as an attempt to recruit an undercover agent to infiltrate a vegan pot-luck. [Ed. Note: Srsly?]

Michael German, the ACLU policy counsel -- in speaking with The Hill's tech blog Hillicon Valley -- said, "Unfortunately, law enforcement in our country seems to be reverting to certain old, bad behaviors when it comes to political surveillance," referring to a return to Cold War-era tactics by the government. In the new, digitally connected world of law enforcement, information -- like closed-circuit recordings or wire-taps -- gathered by smaller agencies can end up in the hands of the FBI or CIA, potentially leading to serious consequences for innocent civilians. [From: Spy Files and The Hill]

Tags: aclu, constitution, espionage, FreedomOfInformationAct, FreedomOfSpeech, government, privacy, spy, SpyFiles, thehil, top

Comments

6

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular