Data Privacy

We are dedicated to protecting and expanding the freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control that individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances.

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We are dedicated to protecting and expanding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, association, and inquiry; expanding the right to privacy and increasing the control individuals have over their personal information; and ensuring civil liberties are enhanced rather than compromised by new advances in science and technology.

Americans have the right to expect that their lives will not become an open book when they have not done, and are not suspected of doing, anything wrong. When the government listens in on phone conversations or collects data on millions of Americans, our privacy rights are eroded and the potential for abuse by the government grows. Even when you have nothing to hide, the government can inadvertently cause you great harm by, for instance, leaking information to the public, freezing your accounts, denying you the right to fly, or naming you as a suspect in connection with a crime.

New Hampshire has a long history of protecting the privacy of data for all residents. The ACLU of New Hampshire works to ensure that state data privacy laws keep pace with new technology, such as social media, smart phones, surveillance, and other growing fields.

The Latest

Press Release
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13 Civil Liberties Questions That Should Be Asked To Any N.H. Supreme Court Nominee

Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights, Reproductive Freedom, Racial Justice, Smart Justice, Data Privacy, First Amendment
Press Release
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In A Victory For Fundamental Fairness, The NH Supreme Court Rules That Retroactive, Lifetime Registration Requirement Is Unconstitutional As Applied To ACLU Client

Issue Areas: Smart Justice, Data Privacy
Court Case
Feb 18, 2026

United States v. New Hampshire Secretary of State

In a “friend of the court” brief filed on February 13, 2026, we’re challenging the federal government’s attempt to access New Hampshire’s unredacted voter file—including information like voters’ driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The brief was filed on behalf of the ACLU of New Hampshire and the League of Women Voter of New Hampshire. These groups are represented by lawyers from the Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the national ACLU, and the ACLU of New Hampshire. In early September 2025, New Hampshire's Secretary of State denied a request by the Trump administration to turn over sensitive voter information. This denial followed an exchange between the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office and the Trump administration beginning on June 25, 2025, when Trump administration officials sent requests for voter files to at least nine states (including New Hampshire), many of them considered swing states in upcoming elections. On September 25, 2025, the U.S. DOJ filed a lawsuit in federal court attempting to force the New Hampshire Secretary of State to share the unredacted voter file. This friend-of-the court brief supports the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s motion to dismiss the case. The brief explains that the Trump administration's lawsuit is part of a nationwide campaign to sweep up voter rolls, one of many tactics in the administration’s broader strategy to undermine free and fair elections. Indeed, as explained in this amicus brief, unredacted voter information includes sensitive details about New Hampshire voters, including birthdates, driver's license numbers, and social security numbers. Indeed, federal voting rights laws were designed to create free, fair, and secure elections, including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA). These federal laws were designed to expand and protect voting rights for all—including vulnerable communities that were once denied the right to vote and remain targets for voter suppression efforts—and ensure public confidence in our elections.