Welcome to the Mobile Justice: Maryland mobile application ("App"), which is designed to allow you to take video of police encounters and quickly submit it to ACLU of Maryland ("ACLU Maryland" or "we"). The app also allows you to receive an alert when a nearby user is recording a police stop. We will use submissions to increase public awareness of and monitor police practices in Maryland.

ACLU Maryland and the ACLU Foundation of Maryland are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy summarizes the information this App collects, how we use it, and the limited circumstances in which we may disclose it. By using this App, you acknowledge and agree to this privacy policy. If you do not agree to this privacy policy, please do not use the App.

What information do we collect?

We do not access, collect or retain any information, including cookies, device IDs, or activity information about your use of other applications, other than what is specifically set forth here.

Registration Information. We collect personal information, including name, address, email address and phone number, that you provide in the Settings section of the App. Providing this information is optional, but without it we can't contact you about any reports or videos you submit.

Video Reports.  When you use the video reporting feature in the app, we collect that video, audio, and its associated data.

Written Reports. We collect the survey responses and reports that you generate after submitting a Video Report.

Geo-Location Information.  We may collect your physical location, but only if you have enabled or opted into the App's BROADCAST or WITNESS features (collectively, the "WITNESS feature").

Information about your device and connection. Your IP address may be included in the transmission of information to ACLU Maryland, but we do not retain your IP address after processing that transmission.

How do we transmit and store your information?

How your information is transmitted

Your information will be transmitted only via secure connection (SSL).

Where your information is stored

Your information will be stored on servers maintained by ACLU Maryland or by third parties that agree not to use or disclose your information except to provide service to us or to comply with legal process.

How long we keep your information

We may retain indefinitely any Video Reports and Written Reports you generate, along with any Registration and Geo-Location Information, if we believe doing so will further ACLU Maryland's mission of protecting civil rights and civil liberties. We may retain such information even if you disable or uninstall the App.

We may also delete such information at any time, or upon your request. (See below.)

How do we use your information?

Registration Information

We will use the Registration Information to track and respond to your Reports, including to contact you about your Reports. 

Written Reports

We review the information you provide in Written Reports, and we treat those Written Reports as requests for legal assistance that are protected by the attorney-client privilege.  Neither the App nor any of the materials in it are solicitations or offers by the ACLU to represent you. We cannot promise you that the information you provide will lead to any specific action on the part of ACLU Maryland. 

We also may use the information you give us in Written Reports for one of the following purposes, without your Registration Information or any other information we believe may identify you, to further the purposes of the app, including as legislative testimony, in support of litigation, in communications with a city, state or federal agency; or to tell your story to the public, including through the media.

Video Reports

We review Video Reports in order to evaluate the information you provide us in Written Reports.  We may review Video Reports whether or not they are accompanied by a Written Report. 

Because Video Reports are intended to contain documentary evidence rather than any communication, we do not treat Video Reports as confidential.  Do not send use the Video Reports feature to make video recordings of any communications you intend to be confidential. 

As described below, we may share or disclose part or all of the Video Reports you give us to any person or organization, or directly to the general public, if we believe such a disclosure would further the App's purpose and the ACLU Maryland's mission of protecting civil rights and civil liberties.

Geo-Location Information

We will use your Geo-location Information to track and respond to Written and Video Reports. If you opt into the App's WITNESS or BROADCAST features, we will alert other users nearby when you submit a Report and will provide them with your Geo-Location information at the time you submit the report. We will not provide them with any other information, including your Registration Information, or any information from your Written Report or Video Report.  We will also send you a notification if a nearby user has submitted a Report using the App. 

How do we share your information?

With other ACLU entities

We may share Registration Information, Video Reports, and Written Reports collected through the App with and between ACLU affiliates in other states, and the National ACLU, but only to further the purposes of this App. We require that any ACLU entity that receives any information comply with this Privacy Policy and the terms of this App's End User License Agreement.

With service providers

We share information with third parties that are necessary to helping us host, maintain, support or otherwise assist us with this App. We only use service providers that agree not to use or disclose your information except to provide service to us or to comply with legal process.

With other users of the App

If you opt-in to the App's BROADCAST feature, when you submit a Report we may disclose your Geo-Location Information, but not your Registration Information or any other information we think could identify you (such as your name, postal or email address, phone number), to others who have downloaded this App and have opted into the WITNESS feature.

With the broader public without identifying information

We may disclose your Video Reports or information from your Written Reports (including the location of an incident you reported), but not your Registration Information or any other information that we think might identify you, to anyone where we believe such a disclosure would further the App's purpose and the ACLU Maryland's mission, of protecting civil rights and civil liberties, including, but not limited to:

  • News organizations and other members of the media;
  • Courts, legislators, law enforcement agencies and other governmental officials;
  • Partner organizations working to protect civil rights, civil liberties, or human rights; or
  • Directly to the public through our web site or other materials.

In response to legal process

We may share information, including Registration Information, Geo-Location Information, or Written Reports if compelled by law, regulation, or valid legal process. We will go to court to fight any demand that we do not believe is legitimate. We are the ACLU, and we take your right to keep information private from the government very seriously.

If we are required to disclose your information in response to a legal demand and we have information that enables us to contact you, we will do our best to provide you advance notice and offer you a copy of the legal request, unless we are prohibited from doing so by a valid court order. We will fight to ensure you have a right to know if the government demands your information from us.

In an emergency

We may disclose your information in certain emergency circumstances, including where we believe doing so is necessary to prevent imminent and serious bodily harm to a person.

We don't sell your data

We never sell your information to any person, company or other third party.

How can you obtain or correct your information?

Upon request via email at MobileJustice@aclu-md.org, we will provide to you a summary of any personal information retained by us regarding you and a copy of any specific Reports you request if we still retain those Reports. We will only send information about you to the email address on file for your account.

You may also request that we modify, correct or change or update your personal records or that your personal records be removed from our database via email to MobileJustice@aclu-md.org.  We may, however, keep copies of any information we have already shared with other entities pursuant to the terms of this Privacy Policy. 

Additional Information

Not Directed at Children Under 13

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update our privacy policies and practices at any time. When we do, we will provide an update to the App with prominent notice of the new privacy policy, and will also post a notice at www.aclu-md.org.org with a link to the updated document. All Information collected after we have updated our privacy policies and practices will be governed by the policies and practices described in the updated document.

What this Policy Doesn't Apply To

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any email communications to or from you, to your use of our website(s), to your use of any other mobile applications, or to any information you provide or that we receive from any source other than this App.  Please see our General Privacy Policy and the privacy disclosures for any such information.

Date last revised: June 12, 2015