Privacy & Technology

We continue to work diligently to protect our right to privacy, limit government intrusion into our lives, and increase the control we have over our personal information.

Light and dark purple graphic of surveillance cameras.

“The right to be left alone,” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted more than 100 years ago, is a basic human right. Unfortunately, digital technology makes it easier for governments and corporations to learn the minutiae of our private lives, and this information gives them tremendous power over us. Today, the ACLU of RI continues to work diligently to protect our right to privacy, limit government intrusion into our lives, and increase the control we have over our personal information.

Campaign
Feb 2026
Yellow background with gradient of blue Flock cameras.

ALPR Cameras 101: Surveillance in Rhode Island

Flock Safety brand automated license plate reader cameras are capable of much more than just reading license plates. Learn more about their...

The Latest

News & Commentary
Blue and gold graphic with images of camera and drone surveillance technology.

ACLU of RI Urges Brown University to Reject Camera Sharing with Providence’s Real Time Crime Center

The ACLU of RI sent letters to colleges and universities with campuses in Providence that have been approached by the police department to share camera feed access after the shooting at Brown in December.
News & Commentary
Light purple and dark blue graphic with a photo of people in voting booths with USA flags on the outside, and a photo of a RI voter registration form.

ACLU Brief in Major Voting Rights Case Calls Department of Justice Arguments “an Affront to the Rule of Law”

ACLU blasted the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) position that it is entitled to Rhode Island’s entire non-public voter file
News & Commentary
Light purple and dark blue graphic with a photo of people in voting booths with USA flags on the outside, and a photo of a RI voter registration form.

Common Cause, ACLU Take on Trump Administration in Court to Protect Rhode Island Voters’ Data

Common Cause and some individual voters have today intervened in a recently filed lawsuit in order to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining sensitive, non-public information contained in the Rhode Island state voter file.
News & Commentary
Light purple and dark blue graphic with a photo of people in voting booths with USA flags on the outside, and a photo of a RI voter registration form.

ACLU of RI Issues Statement on Trump Administration Lawsuit Regarding Rhode Island Voters' Personal Data

"Drivers’ licenses and social security numbers provided as part of the voter registration process are sensitive pieces of information that deserve to be protected and that the Department of Justice has absolutely no legitimate need for."
Campaign
Feb 2026

ALPR Cameras 101: Surveillance in Rhode Island

Automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are rapidly being installed in Rhode Island but are virtually unregulated in our state. Many ALPR cameras, such as those made by the brand Flock Safety, are continuously collecting data that can be kept and accessed by law enforcement agencies across the country. In short, we’re being surveilled as we travel through our state. Learn more about ALPR cameras, and what you can do to help protect privacy in our communities.
Campaign
Jan 2026

Private: CAMPAIGN: Flock Safety Surveillance Technology

This campaign explains Flock Safety cameras.
Campaign
Apr 2020

CAMPAIGN: COVID-19 & Civil Liberties in RI