ACLU Nebraska Legal Program - Privacy
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The Valentine's Day party for Plattsmouth elementary school
turned out to have a price tag: parents' privacy. In
February, 2008, parents in Plattsmouth were planning to attend their
children's Valentine's Day party after the school sent out an
invitation for everyone to come join the fun. But then just a
few days before the party, parents received a second invitation: to
sign a waiver consenting to a background check and a credit history
check before they would be allowed to step foot in the school.
There was no written policy explaining who would be banned from the
party, and no explanation for the need to look into parents'
backgrounds. Worried about the possibility of identity theft
and outraged by the requirement, some parents complained to the
ACLU. We wrote a letter to the Superintendent, who removed the
requirement for the party and promised to form a committee to review
a future policy that would balance children's safety with parents'
privacy.
Oxford Public Library has several computers with internet
connections, but one difference from other libraries: the library
would not allow adults to use a computer without a filter.
Every library is allowed to put filters on their computers; the US
Supreme Court said this is necessary to protect children from
accessing inappropriate sites. But the Court also said adults
have the right to request an unfiltered computer for their use.
In fall 2007, one library patron in Oxford asked and was refused.
The librarians said he wanted to look up dating websites and they
didn't believe that was right. After ACLU contacted the
library and the Nebraska Library Intellectual Freedom Committee, the
policy was changed and the library now features unfiltered computers
for grown-ups to use.
Challenge to phone companies' cooperation with domestic spying
programs. Following news reports that AT&T and Verizon
were among the phone companies who had voluntarily turned over
consumer records to the FBI, ACLU Nebraska filed administrative
complaints against both companies in front of the Nebraska Public
Service Commission. We charged that the companies' decision to
violate their customers' privacy violated state law protections and
asked the state commission to investigate and sanction the companies
to prevent future privacy violations. Unfortunately, in 2006,
the PSC ruled that it had no jurisdiction and dismissed our
complaints.
ACLU Helps Create Local Resolutions Calling for Repeal of the PATRIOT Act:
After working closely with community grassroots activists, ACLU
Nebraska was proud to help announce two strikes against the PATRIOT
Act in 2004. In January 2004, the UNL student government voted to become the first
"PATRIOT ACT" safe zone in the entire state and the 9th school in
the country to pass a PATRIOT Reform Resolution. In August 2004, Lincoln became the 350th
local government to become a "PATRIOT Act" safe zone in the country,
and the first municipal/county government in Nebraska.
