Big Data
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
The Latest
-
Communities Should Reject Surveillance Products Whose Makers Won't Allow Them to be Independently Evaluated
-
ACLU and Digital Rights Groups Support Nonprofit in Lawsuit Over Its Reports Critical of Content on X
-
The Vital Role of End-to-End Encryption
-
In Big Win, Settlement Ensures Clearview AI Complies With Groundbreaking Illinois Biometric Privacy Law
Explore More
What's at Stake
“Big data” is a term used to describe the collection and aggregation of enormous amounts of information that can be processed and analyzed only by powerful computers. Large corporations are amassing personal information about individuals and constructing profiles that are as detailed as possible, with sensitive information that includes political opinions, religion, race, and medical conditions. And we might never know it’s out there.
This kind of data is generally collected to be sold to other businesses looking to capitalize on knowing whatever they can about consumers. But data brokers also engage in predatory business practices that target the poor, elderly, or other vulnerable populations. A Senate Commerce Committee report recently described how some marketers have used racial and other characteristics to identify “the most and least desirable consumers.”
The ACLU has joined with leading civil rights and media justice groups to endorse “Civil Rights Principles for the Era of Big Data.” These principles include:
- Stopping high-tech profiling.
- Preserving constitutional principles in new technology.
- Enhancing individual control of personal information.
“Big data” is a term used to describe the collection and aggregation of enormous amounts of information that can be processed and analyzed only by powerful computers. Large corporations are amassing personal information about individuals and constructing profiles that are as detailed as possible, with sensitive information that includes political opinions, religion, race, and medical conditions. And we might never know it’s out there.
This kind of data is generally collected to be sold to other businesses looking to capitalize on knowing whatever they can about consumers. But data brokers also engage in predatory business practices that target the poor, elderly, or other vulnerable populations. A Senate Commerce Committee report recently described how some marketers have used racial and other characteristics to identify “the most and least desirable consumers.”
The ACLU has joined with leading civil rights and media justice groups to endorse “Civil Rights Principles for the Era of Big Data.” These principles include:
- Stopping high-tech profiling.
- Preserving constitutional principles in new technology.
- Enhancing individual control of personal information.
Support our on-going litigation and advocacy work