ACLU of Massachusetts releases toolkit to uncover police surveillance use
7 reported
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts announced it is releasing an online toolkit this week for criminal defense attorneys, designed to uncover whether police used surveillance technologies to build cases against their clients in secret. The toolkit, described by the group as the first of its kind, includes handcrafted legal motions that, if granted by a judge, would force prosecutors to reveal whether surveillance technology was used against a defendant. It covers technologies including stingray phone trackers, location data from commercial brokers, AI-drafted police reports, and forensic tools that crack phones and siphon data from car infotainment systems. The toolkit also includes preservation motions demanding that surveillance data be saved before it is automatically deleted, aimed at both government agencies and private vendors. The filings rest on a 1963 bedrock rule of American criminal law requiring prosecutors to turn over all evidence that could help the defense. The motions will be distributed through a password-protected library available only to verified defense attorneys, according to the ACLU of Massachusetts.
What’s reported
The ACLU of Massachusetts is releasing an online toolkit this week for criminal defense attorneys.
The toolkit is designed to uncover whether police used surveillance technologies in secret against clients.
It includes legal motions that, if granted, force prosecutors to reveal surveillance technology use.
Technologies covered include stingray phone trackers, commercial location data, AI-drafted police reports, and forensic tools.
Preservation motions demand surveillance data be saved before automatic deletion.
The filings rely on a 1963 rule requiring prosecutors to turn over evidence helpful to the defense.
The toolkit is distributed through a password-protected library for verified defense attorneys only.
Key figures
Jennifer Herrmann, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts and one of the toolkit’s authors.
Gideon Epstein, Technology for Liberty policy counsel at the ACLU and the toolkit’s other author.
Sources: Wired
