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ACLU Sues Chicago Police, Demanding Information About Social Media Monitoring Program

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The American Civil Liberties Union is suing is suing Chicago Police, demanding to know about the department's controversial social media monitoring program.

When asked about it Thursday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot would not comment on the lawsuit. But she did say there are many crimes described on social media, and also said police are careful about protecting people's rights.

"CPD has made a specific effort to only monitor open sources on social media. Obviously, that's something that I've emphasized. It's important to us. We've got to do it this in a way that doesn't violate anybody's expectation of privacy or constitutional rights."

The ACLU said it wants to know how the department's social media surveillance program works, who has access to the information, and whether the program unfairly targets Black and brown communities.

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