Whether it’s people standing too close together in a line, a grocery store crowded with shoppers, or a neighbor’s party, New York City officials want residents to report those who are violating social distancing protocols. They’ve made the process easy: snap a photo and text it to 311. Read More »

In Alaska, a log with every customer’s first and last name and contact phone number must be maintained by the restaurant and kept for 30 days in case it’s "needed for contact tracing." Read More »

“The government can’t, under the First Amendment, pick and choose the message it likes. It can’t enforce one law against a message it disagrees with and not enforce the same law (in favor of a) message it agrees with.” Read More »

According to the lawsuit, Cohoon, a high school student, had a scare in March with COVID-19 and posted about her experience on Instagram. A few days later, a deputy sheriff showed up at her home and demanded that she remove her post or be cited for disorderly conduct, arrested and jailed. Read More »

Snitch culture is dangerous in a larger way, too, since it erodes the structure of a free society by breaking community bonds. "Denunciations provide the means by which individuals can harm others whom they dislike and gain relative to them within their communities. Ultimately, this can lead to a reorientation of society away from cooperation and trust, and toward hierarchy and obedience." Read More »

On March 30, Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill into law that protects the First Amendment right of Utah citizens to associate freely with the people and groups of their choosing, making this the fourth state to enact critical citizen privacy legislation after Arizona, Mississippi and West Virginia. Read More »

The City of Frisco and Mayor Jeff Cheney announced that they have removed a coronavirus-related feature on the myFRISCO app after they quickly received negative feedback from residents. Read More »

In recent weeks, police in several cities have arrested people who continued to engage in anti-abortion rights demonstrations or other advocacy efforts outside reproductive health clinics, despite stay-at-home orders and similar restrictions. The arrests and citations come as the fight over abortion access continues to play out during the pandemic. Read More »

A form posted on Idaho’s coronavirus website caused an outcry on social media Wednesday. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare posted a form on the coronavirus.idaho.gov webpage where people could inform the department about businesses violating the statewide stay-home order. Read More »

Snitches are emerging as enthusiastic allies as cities, states and countries work to enforce directives meant to limit person-to-person contact amid the virus pandemic. They’re phoning police and municipal hotlines, complaining to elected officials and shaming perceived scofflaws on social media. Read More »