Jay Stanley, ACLU National

Jay Stanley

ACLU National

Washington, DC, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • ACLU National

Past articles by Jay:

Say No to the “Cashless Future” — and to Cashless Stores

I went to a counter-serve restaurant recently, and when the time came to pay for my order, took out my wallet, presented a $20 bill, and was told, “Sorry, we don’t accept cash.” I was flabbergasted. What happened to “legal tender for all debts public and private,” as it says right there on the bill? This has now happened to me at three separate establishments in recent months. → Read More

It’s Holiday Gift Time — Does Your Shiny New Gadget Come With Privacy Pitfalls?

To paraphrase Homer Simpson, we all know that technology is the cause of — and solution to — all of life’s problems.We like technology at the ACLU — but we also want everyone to have their eyes wide open when it comes to the privacy risks that can accompany the latest electronic gear, from smartwatches to internet-connected home appliances. → Read More

The Problem With Using Face Recognition on Fans at a Taylor Swift Concert

Rolling Stone reported this week that face recognition was used on attendees at a Taylor Swift concert in Los Angeles to look for stalkers. Stalkers are a real problem, and we sympathize with how scary it must be for a celebrity to know that they are out there. Nonetheless, we have a number of concerns about where this goes. → Read More

How the TSA’s Facial Recognition Plan Will Go Far Beyond the Airport

The Transportation Security Administration released a sweeping plan last week to turn U.S. airports into the first large-scale, comprehensive application of face surveillance technology on the American public. This is not good news for privacy and civil liberties. → Read More

TSA Tests See-Through Scanners on Public in New York’s Penn Station

Questions abound about this new technology, including how effective it is. → Read More

Trump’s FCC Nukes Network Neutrality: What Happens Now?

The FCC’s radical and foolish action today to reverse network neutrality protections means that we have lost an important battle in the war for an open internet. But that war is far from over. → Read More

Apple’s Use of Face Recognition in the New iPhone: Implications

Apple unveiled its new iPhone X Tuesday, and it will include extensive face recognition capabilities. → Read More

Anti-Distracted Driving “Textalyzer” Technology: Not as Simple as it Seems

There’s been a lot of national interest and attention around a New York state proposal that would allow the police to access a driver’s phone without a warrant after an accident to try to determine whether or not the driver was using his or her phone when the accident occurred. → Read More

Airlines Should Decline to Participate in the Government’s Airport Face Recognition Program

Last week, we wrote about U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s plans to apply face recognition to every traveler who exits the country, including Americans. One aspect of the scheme that we did not discuss was the role of the airlines. The airlines’ participation is significant because without it, the plan could not go forward, or at a minimum, its implementation would be significantly… → Read More

What’s Wrong With Airport Face Recognition?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched a “Traveler Verification Service” (TVS) that envisions applying face recognition to all airline passengers, including U.S. citizens, boarding flights exiting the United States. This system raises very serious privacy issues. → Read More

What’s Wrong With Airport Face Recognition?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched a “Traveler Verification Service” (TVS) that envisions applying face recognition to all airline passengers, including U.S. citizens, boarding flights exiting the United States. This system raises very serious privacy issues. → Read More

Reality Winner Is Latest to Face Prosecution Under Awful World War I Espionage Act

Reality Winner, a 25-year-old employee of a contractor that does work for the NSA, was arrested in June and charged with transmitting classified information, widely suspected to be an intelligence document about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election that was published by The Intercept. → Read More

New TSA Policy May Lead to Increased Scrutiny of Reading Material

The TSA is testing new requirements that passengers remove books and other paper goods from their carry-on baggage when going through airline security. Given the sensitivity of our reading choices, this raises privacy concerns. → Read More

What Individuals Should Do Now That Congress Has Obliterated the FCC’s Privacy Protections

Congress has voted to reverse new FCC privacy protections that would have required internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T to seek your permission before sharing information about your browsing history, location history, contacts, and other personal information. Last Tuesday, President Trump signed the measure. → Read More

CIA Documents Highlight Privacy Issues of the 'Internet of Things'

Recent reports of a man being charged with murder based on readings from his “smart” water meter, and the efforts of police to get access to his Amazon Echo recordings, have sparked a lot of discussion about the privacy issues raised by internet of things (IoT) devices. → Read More

The Privacy Threat From Always-On Microphones Like the Amazon Echo

A warrant from police in Arkansas seeking audio records of a man’s Amazon Echo has sparked an overdue conversation about the privacy implications of “always-on” recording devices. This story should serve as a giant wakeup call about the potential surveillance devices that many people are starting to allow into their own homes. → Read More

Do U.S. Politicians Need to Fear Our Intelligence Agencies?

President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the intelligence community over its reports of Russian hacking during the 2016 election has generated a lot of commentary over what is being described as a “feud” between Trump and the intelligence agencies. → Read More

A Few Easy Steps Everyone Should Take to Protect Their Digital Privacy

Updated on November 14, 2016. Much of the privacy protection we need in today’s world can’t happen without technological and legislative solutions, and the ACLU will continue leading the fight for digital security and privacy through our litigation and advocacy efforts. But there are simple steps that everyone can take to improve their digital privacy. → Read More

Why Today’s Privacy-Invading Online Ecosystem May Not Last

In recent years we have seen the growth of an enormous infrastructure for routine commercial surveillance on the internet. This infrastructure includes not only “free” advertising-based services like Google and Facebook, but also a largely invisible system of ad networks that track people across the different sites they visit. → Read More

Eight Problems With Police “Threat Scores”

The Washington Post Monday had a piece about the use of “threat scores” by law enforcement in Fresno, California. This story follows release of information about this predictive-policing program obtained through an open-records request by my colleagues at the ACLU of Northern California. → Read More