The issues in this Center focus on strengthening democratic values and ensuring a fair and accountable democracy through national security, First Amendment, and privacy and technology advocacy programs.

Free Speech & Assembly

Freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and is guaranteed to all Americans. As a core founding principle, our access to this right plays a crucial role in maintaining an active democracy. Since 1920, the ACLU has worked to preserve free speech in all forms, including the right to assemble, protest, and petition for all individuals regardless of how unpopular some of the groups that utilize these rights may be.

Privacy & Technology

The ACLU is committed to actively promoting responsible uses of technology that enhance privacy and freedom, while opposing those that undermine our freedoms and move us closer to a surveillance society. Challenges in the areas of censorship and privacy are constantly arising with the onset of new technologies. Unchecked government surveillance intrudes upon Americans' right to privacy, dangerously chilling speech and political dissent.

National Security

The Constitution guards against violations of individual rights in the name of national security. There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections then there is today. Indefinite detention, many Patriot Act provisions and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law and our most treasured values in the name of national security. The ACLU promotes the belief that we can be both safe and free.