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
Mar 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

Know Your Rights
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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Rhode Island Homeless Bill of Rights

“No person’s rights, privileges, or access to public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless. Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any other resident of this state.”
News & Commentary
Bright pink graphic with a dark pink and light blue image of a person texting on a smart phone, and a white and dark blue image of the Rhode Island State House.

Companies are using data about where we go and what we search to infer our health care decisions. Here’s why you should take action. 

Nobody should be afraid of seeking essential health care because they’re afraid of being tracked or surveilled.
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
Campaign
Mar 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