Statement by ACLU-WA Executive Director Kathleen Taylor on government surveillance of local activists.

The ACLU of Washington has filed Freedom of Information Act requests on behalf of itself and 11 peace organizations.

On June 23, 1998 ACLU-WA Board member Doug Klunder testified before the Commercial Electronic Task Force on Spam.

Responding to citizen demands for action to safeguard sensitive personal information, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has drafted House and Senate bills to protect the privacy of people’s medical information. The bills would prohibit non-health care providers with legitimate access to medical records from disclosing these medical records to anyone else for further use. The bills would bar insurance companies from marketing medical records to third parties.

Today legislation was introduced in the House and the Senate to ensure the privacy of cable television subscribers. Senate Bill 5868 and House Bill 1842 prohibit a cable company from revealing to any third party which cable services an individual subscriber receives, or the extent or nature of the subscriber’s viewing or use of other cable services.

The Legislature has passed a bill to prohibit state implementation of the REAL ID Act, unless the federal government fully funds it and provides stronger protections for the privacy of Washington drivers.

Washington joins Maine, Idaho, Arkansas and Montana in adopting measures to reject REAL ID, a new federal identification system that would create a de facto national ID card.

People have been free to express their opinions using pseudonyms since the early days of our nation.

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that people do not give up their right to privacy when they check into a hotel. The Court reviewed a case dealing with police sweeps of motel guest registries in Lakewood.

Civil libertarians held the line against efforts to enact overly broad laws as the Washington Legislature adjourned without passing proposed anti-terrorism measures.