Latest From ACLU of Washington

Too often, user privacy is an afterthought in the design of computer software and online services.  For companies, the costs in lost consumer confidence, fines, and corrective measures can be substantial. Everyday users pay a price as well, and for victims of domestic violence, political protesters, whistleblowers, and others whose safety and livelihood could hinge on their privacy, those costs can be devastating.

As a college student, I could have spent my last summer before graduation doing any assortment of activities. I could have embraced living in Seattle by getting a job in a hip coffee shop. I could have traveled, trying to see the world before I get a job that requires me to stay in one place. Or I could have taken a full load of classes, trying to get ahead on credits so that I could add an extra major or try classes for which I wouldn’t normally have time.

On the heels of Seattle Weekly reporter Nina Shapiro’s in-depth examination of the Border Patrol’s aggressive tactics on the Olympic Peninsula (“Twilight for Immigrants”) comes a revelation that sheds light on the troubling situation. In a follow-up story, Shapiro reports about a Border Patrol whistleblower who has come forward to assert that BP agents don’t have meaningful work to do far from our northern border. 

  Compliance with the state’s public disclosure law is important to ensuring that government is open and accountable. King County just got a strong reminder of this and is paying a $125,000 settlement to a couple who alleged that officials wrongfully withheld public records. The Seattle Times tells the story behind the settlement.