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Policy Work

Below are articles, blog posts, and other written works produced while Leslie worked as a Privacy Policy Analyst, along with written work for organizations like the Center for Growth and Opportunity, the Pacific Legal Foundation, and the American Institute for Economic Research. This work focuses on individual rights and privacy. If you’re interested in Leslie’s commentary on public policy, check out the Policy section on the Media page.

All Policy Work

Tension in frayed rope, similar to agency authority and Constitution

The Tension between Agency Authority and the Constitution

The Supreme Court has recently agreed to take up a case that questions the constitutionality of admi…

License plate on back of white car

Why Police License Plate Readers Might be Illegal

Fence representing safety and privacy of Utah bill

Utah law would strike a balance between public safety and digital privacy

Utah is set to become the first state in the nation to regulate law enforcement’s use of geofence se…

A puzzle showing the structure of DNA

Who Owns Your DNA?

How secure is your DNA? Even if you have never purchased an ancestry kit, your identity can easily b…

Apps on screen showing twitter related to privacy

Choose Privacy

Technology and privacy have always had a contentious relationship. At the turn of the 19th Century t…

Tracking app representing one used in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Violates Consumer Consent

A recent lawsuit reveals the problems that arise from the unholy union between technology firms and …

Semi-truck belonging to a trucker on side of road

Tracking Truckers

Yet again, the public is being asked to trade privacy for safety. This time, truckers are in the mid…

Digital contract agreement

Privacy in the Digital Era: Who Controls Private Data?

The boundaries between physical and digital spheres are collapsing. The digital sharing of personal …

Ballot box representing win in Montana

Montana Protects Privacy

Privacy won at the ballot box on Tuesday when Montana’s C-48 passed. This ballot measure was a legis…

Social Media icons on phone

A Key Lawsuit Could Reveal Just How Blurry The Lines Between Social Media And Government Have Become

To what extent are the content moderation decisions social media companies have made over the last s…

Cookies in browser in relation to consumer privacy

Consumer Privacy Laws Aren’t About the Public

You may have noticed consent pop-ups on most websites, particularly for the collection of your cooki…

Capital building representing self-governance

Can Self-Governance Survive Surveillance?

Surveillance and self-governance are like oil and water. They do no not mix well. Increasingly, US c…

Stone wall representing barrier of major questions doctrine to FTC

Why FTC’s Data Privacy Rulemaking Is Probably Unconstitutional

Lina Khan attempts to greatly expand the FTC’s authority to prosecute unfair and deceptive trade pra…

Surveillance Cameras in a city

The Troubling Rise of Surveillance Cities

A new Houston law leverages funds from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to require businesses to …

Privacy policy for consumers coming out of typewriter

The Power of Consumers to Protect Their Privacy

Consumers have no control over how their private data — such as location and search history — is col…

Statue of Liberty top

Privacy, Liberty’s Precondition

Liberty does not grow in every soil. Certain preconditions are necessary for freedom to flourish. Pr…

Courthouse where one might obtain a warrant

What Is the Scope of a Warrant?

In June of this year, federal agents, acting on a warrant, searched Eastman outside a restaurant in …

Representation of overhead of geofence warrant search area

Geofence “Warrants”: An Unconstitutional Abuse of Technology

General warrants give law enforcement agents broad authority “to search and seize unspecified places…

Front door where a ring doorbell may be

Ring Reveals Our Current Privacy Problem

Recent revelations that have landed Ring—a residential, visual doorbell service—in hot water reveal …

Highlighting legislation

Why Legislation?

Person holding representation of map area of geofence warrant

Geofences Aren’t the Only Reverse Warrants

Soldier fighting against the abuses of terrorism

Lack of Privacy Leads to Political Abuses

In the Internet age, the distribution of state power has drastic implications for Americans’ civil a…

Drawing of woman with facial recognition pattern on her face

How Facial Recognition Monetizes Fear & Insecurity

The use of facial recognition software has recently exploded. Some applications of this technology a…

Car dashboard of a consumer

Biden Cancels Consumer Consent

President Joe Biden’s infrastructure legislation, passed in November 2021, undercuts consumer privac…

Home Address Doxxing

The Danger of Doxxing

What is doxxing? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term as “publicly identify[ing] for [public…

Facial recognition of a face with lines

Facial Recognition Is Plagued by Problems

Robert Julian-Borchak Williams was arrested in the driveway of his home, taken to the local police s…

Public surveillance cameras

The public needs protection from public safety agencies

Facial recognition, geolocation tracking, and public video surveillance are all becoming more widely…

CIA folder with classified stamp on it.

Latest CIA revelations show clear need for privacy protections

Recent revelations show the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretly collects bulk data containing…

Police car

Can Police Force You to Open Your Phone?

The general constitutional issue under review is this: does allowing police to force a criminal defe…

Mother with baby, patient, representing Utah families

Utah Takes Steps to Protect Patient Privacy

DOH not only failed to obtain informed consent from maternity patients, but after collecting complet…

Surveillance cameras on pole, no privacy

The New State Privacy Officer Is Appointed — Now What?

Phillips’ duties include investigating and reviewing government privacy practices, making recommenda…

Gavel representing judicial deference

Rejecting Judicial Deference

Department of Health survey

Utah’s Department of Health survey shows institutional failures

As reported by KUTV, until recently, parents of newborns had to provide sensitive information to the…