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The right to express yourself regardless of the popularity your views is basic to a democratic society. Throughout its history, the ACLU has met challenges from officials who cite reasons old and new to restrict this right. We recognize that if one person can be silenced, all of us are at risk.

Government Agencies to Pay $418,000 in Political Surveillance Case

June 28, 2010
Three law enforcement agencies in Washington are paying a total of $418,000 to resolve a lawsuit over the wrongful arrest and covert surveillance of an Olympia activist who was prevented from participating in a lawful demonstration.
 

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Art Project Dismantled Under Police Pressure

An art project in Seattle’s Central District was taken down after a  police officer complained about its content to the artist and owner of the property where it was displayed. Police had no business getting involved in this issue, says the ACLU-WA. Please let the Police Chief know that police officers should not pressure people to take down art projects.
 

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A Free Speech Chiller: UW Police Infiltrated, Spied on Student Group

Randy Tyler
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Recently obtained documents show that the University of Washington Police Department authorized an officer to spy on, collect information about, and participate in meetings of the UW Student Worker Coalition, without any suspicion of criminal activity. The ACLU of Washington is working with the SWC to uncover the extent of surveillance, and to encourage the University to take the steps necessary to prevent suspicionless surveillance in the future.

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ACLU press conference

ACLU Calls on University of Washington to Curb Campus Surveillance

July 8, 2010
Public records obtained by the ACLU-WA show that the University of Washington Police Department authorized an undercover officer to attend, participate in, and collect information about meetings student activists on campus. ACLU-WA executive director Kathleen Taylor and recent UW Law School graduates Salmun Kazerounian and Sarah White discussed concerns at a press conference at the ACLU office.
 

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Viacom v. YouTube: How a District Court Saved Free Speech on the Internet

Randy Tyler
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
The democratizing effect of the Internet is arguably its greatest feature, resulting in a revolutionary explosion of free speech and expression. But this effect recently came under fire in Viacom v. YouTube, a case affecting the fundamental framework of how content is created, disseminated and stored on line. Thankfully, by ruling that YouTube was covered by the “safe harbor” provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a U.S. District Court might have just saved the Internet as we know it.

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Chinn Case Is Just The Tip of the Surveillance Iceberg

Randy Tyler
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Well, that settles it – government surveillance without suspicion is a costly endeavor. The case surrounding the false arrest of Phil Chinn –the Olympia activist targeted for surveillance based on his political associations – has come to a close. Unfortunately, a new ACLU report on political spying shows that coordinated efforts to target political activists for surveillance persist not only throughout Washington, but throughout the country.
 

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Street speech

Street Speech: Demonstrating How to Protect the Rights of Marchers

Rabi Lahiri
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Like publishing ideas in books or newspapers, demonstrating in the streets has been one of the fundamental outlets for speech throughout our nation’s history.  The Supreme Court has long held that speech gets maximum protection in certain kinds of public places, like parks, sidewalks, and streets.  People with soapboxes need somewhere to put them, after all.

In these public places, speech may be limited only for narrow and very specific reasons.  States are allowed, for example, to prohibit demonstrators from blocking access to buildings like hospitals or fire stations.  We allow the government to make and enforce laws designed to keep those vital public services operating, even when it might limit people’s right to demonstrate in certain areas.  Courts call these “time, place, and manner restrictions,” and as long as they meet certain criteria, they’re constitutional.

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ACLU Intervenes in Lawsuit To Protect Amazon Users’ Personal Information

August 13, 2010
Standing up for consumer rights, the ACLU says that individuals have the right to read books, view films, and buy other items without the government keeping tabs on what they choose to read, watch, or purchase.
 

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Locked keyboard

ACLU Seeks Access to Information on Internet for Adult Library Patrons

May 6, 2010
After an unfavorable decision by the Washington Supreme Court, the ACLU will continue to pursue in federal court a lawsuit challenging a library Internet filtering policy. The policy hampers adult library patrons seeking information for school assignments, trying to locate organizations on the Web, or simply doing reading.
 

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