ACLU Criticisms and #FBI – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the FBI for what it views as civil liberties violations, including surveillance of innocent Americans, racial profiling through programs like “racial mapping,” and targeting political dissidents and religious groups. Specific concerns have focused on the use of community outreach programs for intelligence gathering, the potential for warrantless surveillance, and the use of terrorism task forces to surveil peaceful protestors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] Areas of criticism Surveillance and intelligence gathering: The ACLU alleges the FBI has misused community outreach programs to collect intelligence on innocent

ACLU Criticisms and  #FBI –
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the FBI for what it views as civil liberties violations, including surveillance of innocent Americans, racial profiling through programs like “racial mapping,” and targeting political dissidents and religious groups. Specific concerns have focused on the use of community outreach programs for intelligence gathering, the potential for warrantless surveillance, and the use of terrorism task forces to surveil peaceful protestors. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Areas of criticism

Surveillance and intelligence gathering: The ACLU alleges the FBI has misused community outreach programs to collect intelligence on innocent Americans’ beliefs and activities, which are protected by the First Amendment. Documents obtained by the ACLU suggest the FBI uses these programs to gather information on individuals and community organizations.
Racial and religious profiling: The ACLU has accused the FBI of engaging in racial and religious profiling through initiatives like “racial mapping,” where the bureau allegedly collects racial and ethnic information and maps communities based on stereotypes rather than evidence of wrongdoing.
Targeting political and religious groups: The ACLU has criticized the FBI for investigating and collecting intelligence on American Muslim religious organizations and their leaders and congregants. The organization has also taken issue with FBI actions against other political groups, including those protesting government policies.
Use of terrorism task forces: The ACLU has sued the FBI and other agencies for the use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) to surveil peaceful activists, including racial justice protestors. The group claims that intelligence hubs like fusion centers have been used to disseminate alarming reports on protest activity, sometimes sensationalizing it.
Unlawful surveillance powers: The ACLU has raised concerns that the FBI has improperly used surveillance powers, including allegations that it improperly uses the Patriot Act and other authorities.
Overreach in investigations: The ACLU has expressed concern over FBI tactics like large-scale raids on individuals and organizations, even those engaged in controversial activities. The organization has specifically called for special masters to oversee the review of seized materials to protect privileged information. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1]  aclu.org/news/national-secur…
[2]  aclum.org/en/cases/aclu-v-fb…
[3]  aclu.org/mapping-the-fbi
[4]  aclu.org/documents/eye-fbi-e…
[5]  aclu.org/news/national-secur…
[6]  aclu.org/press-releases/aclu…
[7]  aclu.org/news/national-secur…
[8]  aclu.org/press-releases/aclu…
[9]  aclu.org/press-releases/fbi-…
[10]  aclu.org/news/civil-libertie…
[11]  aclu.org/press-releases/docu…
[12]  aclu.org/press-releases/aclu…

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— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 19, 2025