News & Commentary written by Nathan Freed Wessler

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Nathan Freed Wessler

Deputy Director, ÌÒ×ÓÊÓÆµSpeech, Privacy, and Technology Project

Bio

Nathan Freed Wessler () is a deputy director with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, where he focuses on litigation and advocacy around surveillance and privacy issues, including government searches of electronic devices, requests for sensitive data held by third parties, and use of surveillance technologies. In 2017, he argued Carpenter v. United States in the U.S. Supreme Court, a case that established that the Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to get a search warrant before requesting cell phone location data from a person’s cellular service provider.

Nate was previously a staff attorney in the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project and legal fellow in the ÌÒ×ÓÊÓÆµNational Security Project. Prior to that, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Helene N. White of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Nate is a graduate of Swarthmore College and New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern public interest scholar. Before law school, he worked as a field organizer in the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office.


Featured work

Sep 17, 2014

Documents Suggest Maker of Controversial Surveillance Tool Misled the FCC

Documents Suggest Maker of Controversial Surveillance Tool Misled the FCC

Jun 12, 2014

Trickle Down Surveillance

Trickle Down Surveillance

Jun 12, 2014

Federal Court Rules on One of the Major Outstanding Constitutional Privacy Questions of Our Time

Federal Court Rules on One of the Major Outstanding Constitutional Privacy Questions of Our Time

Jun 3, 2014

VICTORY: Judge Releases Information about Police Use of Stingray Cell Phone Trackers

VICTORY: Judge Releases Information about Police Use of Stingray Cell Phone Trackers

Jun 3, 2014

U.S. Marshals Seize Local Cops’ Cell Phone Tracking Files in Extraordinary Attempt to Keep Information From Public

U.S. Marshals Seize Local Cops’ Cell Phone Tracking Files in Extraordinary Attempt to Keep Information From Public

Jun 2, 2014

New York Court Recognizes Privacy-Invasive Nature of Cell Tower Dumps But Stops Short of Requiring a Warrant

New York Court Recognizes Privacy-Invasive Nature of Cell Tower Dumps But Stops Short of Requiring a Warrant

May 9, 2014

DOJ Proposal on Law Enforcement Hacking Would Undermine Longstanding Check on Government Power

DOJ Proposal on Law Enforcement Hacking Would Undermine Longstanding Check on Government Power

Apr 14, 2014

Curious Cop Downloaded Hundreds of Private Prescription Records Because He Could

Curious Cop Downloaded Hundreds of Private Prescription Records Because He Could

Mar 25, 2014

Local Police in Florida Acting Like They’re the CIA (But They’re Not)

Local Police in Florida Acting Like They’re the CIA (But They’re Not)

Mar 3, 2014

Police Hide Use of Cell Phone Tracker From Courts Because Manufacturer Asked

Police Hide Use of Cell Phone Tracker From Courts Because Manufacturer Asked