Oakland Privacy

Bay Area UASI 2020

by Tracy Rosenberg • March 9, 2020 • 0 Comments

Every March, the Department of Homeland Security gifts Bay Area law enforcement with funds for new equipment through the Bay Area UASI. 55 out of 146 requests will be fulfilled and the winners are ….

The City of Vallejo and Highway 37 will get $90,000 worth of automated license plate readers.
Sonoma County will get a $290,000 mobile incident command vehicle
The City of San Jose will get $232,000 worth of new Shotspotter sensors, automated license plate readers and cameras and a $150,000 video downlink from helicopter
The Santa Clara County Sheriff will get a $465,000 helicopter FLIR infrared system
Here in Alameda County, the Alameda County Sheriff is preparing for mass fatalities with a $100,000 mass care trailer, a $100,000 Rapid DNA Instrument for Decedent Identification During Mass Fatality Incidents, a $250,000 Mass Casualty Incident bus and a $249,000 Emergency Mass Notification system.
The City of San Francisco gets a $550,00 Tanker Truck.

Encryption

25 Groups Object to Graham-Blumenthal Anti-Encryption EARNIT Act

by Tracy Rosenberg • March 7, 2020 • 0 Comments

25 civil society groups, led by the Open Technology Institute at New America and including Oakland Privacy, sent a letter objecting to the EARNIT Act, which seeks to weaken encryption standards.

The letter states: “By setting the stage for adoption of best practices that, whether directly or indirectly, require companies to avoid offering strong device encryption or end-to-end encrypted messaging services, the bill could create encryption backdoors. Backdoors to encryption make everyone in society more vulnerable to privacy, cybersecurity, and other risks.”

Facial Recognition

40 Civil Rights Groups Ask Colleges To Keep Facial Recognition Off Campuses

by Tracy Rosenberg • February 14, 2020 • 0 Comments

An open letter from an assortment of civil rights groups, including Oakland Privacy, asked university administrators to keep their campuses free of facial recognition.

On March 2, students and faculty at schools across the country will organize to reject facial recognition’s false promises of safety, and stand against the idea of biased 24/7 tracking and analysis of everyone on campus.

License Plate Readers

CA State Auditor Says CA ALPR Use Imperils Privacy

by Tracy Rosenberg • February 13, 2020 • 0 Comments

A state audit of license plate reader use by CA law enforcement agencies requested by State Senator Scott Weiner concluded that existing policies were largely not compliant with existing state law and that laws needed to be strengthened.

The CA State Auditor stated “the law enforcement agencies we reviewed must better protect individuals’ privacy through ensuring that their policies reflect state law. In addition, we found that these agencies must improve their ALPR data security, make more informed decisions about sharing their ALPR data, and expand their oversight of ALPR users.”

The auditor went on to state: “the statewide survey of law enforcement agencies we conducted found that 70 percent operate or plan to operate an ALPR system, and this raises concerns that these agencies may share the deficiencies we identified at the four agencies we reviewed”.

Data Privacy

Kick The Tires of the CCPA

by Tracy Rosenberg • January 31, 2020 • 0 Comments

In celebration of Data Privacy Day (earlier this week), and the operational start of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), privacy advocates invited CA legislators to take the law out for a spin.

Our practice companies: Tik-ToK, a youth-oriented social media network, and Experian, one of the 3 leading credit bureaus in the country.

While legislators are trying out their new law, you can also join the impromptu test. See if you can find out what Tik-Tok and Experian have collected about you, and ask them to stop selling it, and tell us how it goes!

Data Privacy

Privacy for the Everyday Person (End): Resources

by Astrid Floegel-Shetty • January 1, 2020 • 0 Comments

Name	Description	Information You Can Find
Surveillance Self Defense	A guide from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that teaches you how to protect your privacy online. It covers tools, strategies, and step-by-step tutorials for defending yourself from government and corporate surveillance.	Attending a Protest How to: Get to Know iPhone Privacy and Security Settings Privacy for Students
Defend Our Movements	A toolkit for activists, organizers, and marginalized communities to strengthen digital security.	Using Facebook in an Era of Mass Deportation Anti-Doxing Guide for Activists Facing Attacks from the Alt-Right
Tech Activist	A resource hub focused on tech education and privacy rights for Black and brown communities. Offers workshops and training to empower digital freedom and resist surveillance.	Ongoing Virtual Classes – Offline and Online Security Tips for Protesters and Organizers
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)	EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, DC. EPIC routinely files amicus briefs in federal courts, pursues open government cases, defends consumer privacy, organizes conferences for NGOs, and speaks before Congress and judicial organizations about emerging privacy and civil liberties issues.	Guide to Practical Privacy Tools
Civil Liberties Defense Center	Provides legal support and education for activists and movements. Focuses on defending civil rights in court and offering “know your rights” resources.	Digital Security Program
Equality Labs	Equality Labs is a coalition of artists, advocates, healers, technologists and organizers working on intractable systems of oppression through a collaborative solution-making model for movements.	Digital Security
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse	Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to advancing data privacy for all by expanding access to information, increasing participation in policy discussions, and advocating for stronger rights.	Law Overview Mobile Health and Fitness apps
Wizcase Online Privacy Guide	A great introduction to Virtual Private Networks with pictures and practical advice!
Privacy Guides	Privacy Guides is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. We are a non-profit project with a mission to inform the public about the value of digital privacy, and about global government initiatives which aim to monitor your online activity. Our website is free of advertisements and not affiliated with any of the listed providers. Privacy Guides is built by volunteers and staff members around the world. All changes to our recommendations and resources are reviewed by at least two trusted individuals, and we work diligently to ensure our content is updated as quickly as possible to adapt to the ever-changing cybersecurity threat landscape.	Recommended Privacy Tools
Privacy Tools	The older website of Privacy Guides, created in 2015 after the Snowden revelations.	Guide
Digital Privacy YouTube Videos	NBTV is a project of the Ludlow Institute, a research and media institute dedicated to helping you reclaim control of your digital life. Created and hosted by Naomi Brockwell.	Find videos HERE!

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—- Published January 2026 —-