Oakland is among many cities across the country grappling with whether to keep or dump the controversial gunshot detection system, Shotspotter in the wake of ongoing concerns about false alarms, and over-policing. Chicago recently ended their contract, the largest in…
Author: Tracy Rosenberg
Prominent Human Rights Groups Call on CA Governor to Protect Data from Trump
Human rights organizations called for Governor Newsom and other California leaders to take immediate action to protect Californians’ data privacy from anticipated attempts by federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies to violate residents’ fundamental rights under the incoming Trump-Vance administration.…
Elon Musk, Disinformation and Us
On November 14, X, formerly known as Twitter until its acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk, filed suit in federal court to overturn a recently passed California law, AB 2655 (Berman). AB 2655, which is scheduled to go into effect on…
23AndMe Meltdown
One of the world’s largest DNA collections in private hands, ancestry testing company 23AndMe with over 14 million genotypes, seems headed for a chaotic ownership change after CEO Anne Wojcicki warned of incoming bankruptcy and the entire board quit. While…
Oakland Shotspotter Contract Renewal
Controversial gunshot detection technology Shotspotter is up for contract renewal for the next three years in Oakland. The system depends on outdoor microphones that ping when exposed to a loud noise that might be a gunshot and a dispatch system…
2024 State Legislature Wrap-up
It is now past the end of the road for the 2024 state legislative year, so we wanted to report back to you on what happened, what OP did, and what new laws are coming your way. It was the…
SFPD Violates State Military Equipment Law
The San Francisco Police Department has confirmed in writing that they acquired 6 DJI drones in May of 2024, without requesting Board of Supervisors authorization or getting an approved use policy as required by State Law (AB 481-2021-Chiu). We are…
Opt Out of Clearview AI Giveaway
Clearview AI, the notorious facial recognition software that scraped pictures from the world’s social media and then sold them to the police for a perpetual line-up, has been hit with a blizzard of well-deserved litigation. Cases from all over the…
$115 Million Dollar Settlement in Katz-Lacabe v. Oracle Privacy Lawsuit
A class action lawsuit against Oracle Corporation for violating state and federal privacy laws by asssembling digital dossiers on people and selling them was settled for $115 million dollars. OP member Mike Katz-Lacabe was a primary named plaintiff. Oracle assembled…
Why I Opposed AB 3080
by Saoirse Grace, 2024 Privacy Rights Fellow Much has been written about the legal, social, and practical reasons AB 3080 must be stopped. I agree—it must be. For those unfamiliar, AB 3080 is a bill in the California state legislature…