Voting rights are under attack in this country. States are making it harder for people to vote as legislatures pass voter suppression laws under the pretext of preventing voter fraud and safeguarding election integrity. These regressive laws take many forms and pose significant barriers for eligible voters trying to exercise their most fundamental constitutional right.
ACLU AND ALLIES DEFEAT GOVERNMENT MANDATED ULTRASOUND BILL
'Keep your hands off my Uteri' read a home-made poster held by an ACLU supporter at a rally organized by the ACLU of Idaho, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and United Action for Idaho soon after the 2012 legislature announced its intention to pass invasive legislation aimed at women's health. But with national outrage and a local organized effort in opposition, Senate Bill 1387 lived a short life as the more conservative House refused to hold a public hearing, after receiving much pressure. Learn how the ACLU and partners defeated the bill.
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SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY
Government must adopt strict standards to ensure privacy is protected amid usage of drone technology.
In an April 24th story by the Idaho Press-Tribune, Canyon County unveiled plans in the works to use drone technology for county operations. The County purchased a $33,000 drone manufactured in Canada to aid "with investigations and surveillance of crime scenes, barricaded subjects, hazardous materials, search and rescue missions, traffic accidents and natural disasters," as reported by the Press-Tribune.
As guardians of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the ACLU shares concerns over drones in our domestic airspace. Unmanned aircraft carrying cameras heightens concerns for the surveillance of American life and the compromising of personal privacy. As this new technology continues to grow and Congress receives more pressure from the private sector to open-up the airspace to drones, it is critical for the government to create clear standards and guidelines to ensure this new technology will be used responsibly and consistently with our democratic values. Establishing firm rules will allow for the safe use of this new technology without sacrificing our privacy and take us a step closer to a "surveillance society."
As technology advances, so does the government’s surveillance power. If we want to protect our privacy rights, the exercise of this power has to be subject to limits. Without sensible limits on the use of surveillance drones, government entities – the F.B.I., the Department of Homeland Security, your local police department – will almost inevitably use drones to collect huge volumes of sensitive information about people who’ve done nothing wrong.
Idaho Execution Procedures Violate Federal Law. The public and the press have a constitutional right to view Idaho execution procedure in its entirety. Read more.
12/30/11 Execution cost Idaho about $53,000. Read the story.
June 21-22 - 7th Annual Minidoka Civil Liberties Symposium
More info: 208-344-9750 x202 or admin (at) acluidaho.org
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