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Privacy

Updated 12.07.10  Improvements in technology, combined with a weakening of our legal protections, have resulted in unprecedented government power.

What's happening in Ohio

ACLU Legal Actions

University of Akron's plan to collect DNA blocked
In October 2009 the ACLU learned of a new University of Akron policy requiring job applicants to submit to a DNA test at the discretion of the school. After criticism from the ACLU and a Faculty Senate resolution denouncing the policy, the University's general counsel recommended that the University repeal the provision.


Ohio Legislation

"Joe the Plumber" and privacy
During the 2008 presidential campaign, it was discovered that state officials approved the use of government databases to obtain information about Joseph Wurzelbacher, also known as "Joe the Plumber." The ACLU of Ohio called for immediate action to mandate that state agencies implement privacy protections.

In response, the Ohio General Assembly passed H.B. 648 in December 2008, which limits the use of state-created databases to legitimate purposes and punishes employees who use them for the wrong reasons. Read our press release and testimony in favor of H.B. 648.

To access related items on our website, use the Archives search box on the In The News page, as well as the search box on our home page. Use the search term “plumber” for each.

 

What's happening NATIONALLY

Airport security
Many airports now require passengers to go through a scanner that uses radiation to provide agents with an electronic image of your naked body. Passengers who opt out will be subjected to a standard pat-down procedure. The ACLU believes that routine full body scanning, embarrassingly intimate pat-downs and racial profiling threaten our civil liberties and are not proven to be effective in enhancing security. Read more on the national ACLU website.  


Resources

Electronic Frontier Foundation report on law enforcement’s use of social media

Find out about your right to access your government files using the Freedom of Information Act request process.

Worried about the privacy of information you submit to the Census Bureau? Learn more.

National ACLU Technology and Liberty Project

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Read privacy news releases and articles in our News Center.

Browse our webcasts for privacy-related programs:
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