Privacy and Surveillance
The ACLU of Iowa is deeply concerned about intrusive government surveillance and tracking. We work in the courts and in the legislature to protect the privacy of all Iowans.
What you need to know
1986
The federal law protecting your electronic information was passed in 1986, making it older than the World Wide Web.
Fourth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the Iowa Constitution protect Iowans from unreasonable search and seizures by the government, including that of your electronic data.
Technological innovation has outpaced our privacy protections. As a result, our digital footprint can be tracked by the government and corporations in ways that were once unthinkable, defying the U.S. and Iowa Constitutions' crucial limits on invading citizens’ privacy.
Our digital footprint is constantly growing, containing data about the most intimate aspects of our lives. This includes our communications, whereabouts, online searches, purchases, and even our bodies. When city, state, and federal governments have easy access to this information, we lose more than just privacy and control over our information. Free speech, security, and equality suffer as well.
Iowans should not have to choose between using new technologies and protecting their civil liberties. We work to ensure a future in which the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches extends to digital property and your data is your own.
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By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.