[OPLINLIST] FW: [alacoun] Fwd: [ftrf-l] FTRF and ALA join amicus brief asserting readers’ First Amendment right to be free of NSA’s online surveillance

Fri Sep 4 13:49:02 EDT 2015

News from the American Library Association.

Pamela J. Hickson-Stevenson, Deputy Director
Akron-Summit County Public Library
60 S. High Street
Akron, OH   44326

(v) 330-643-9102
(f ) 330-643-9160

[CharacterValueLogo-small]

Visit us on the Web at http://www.akronlibrary.org<http://www.akronlibrary.org/>
or on our Mobile Site at http://m.akronlibrary.org<http://m.akronlibrary.org/>

The Akron-Summit County Public Library provides resources for learning and leisure, information services, meeting spaces, and programs for all ages that support, improve, and enrich individual, family, and community life.

From: Deborah Caldwell-Stone <dstone at ala.org<mailto:dstone at ala.org>>
Date: September 4, 2015 at 11:41:08 AM EDT
To: "ftrf-l at lists.ala.org<mailto:ftrf-l at lists.ala.org>" <ftrf-l at lists.ala.org<mailto:ftrf-l at lists.ala.org>>
Cc: "ala-ifc (ala-ifc at lists.ala.org<mailto:ala-ifc at lists.ala.org>)" <ala-ifc at lists.ala.org<mailto:ala-ifc at lists.ala.org>>, "ifcprivacy (ifcprivacy at lists.ala.org<mailto:ifcprivacy at lists.ala.org>)" <ifcprivacy at lists.ala.org<mailto:ifcprivacy at lists.ala.org>>, "COPE (ethics at lists.ala.org<mailto:ethics at lists.ala.org>)" <ethics at lists.ala.org<mailto:ethics at lists.ala.org>>, "ifrt-b at lists.ala.org<mailto:ifrt-b at lists.ala.org>" <ifrt-b at lists.ala.org<mailto:ifrt-b at lists.ala.org>>, " stateifc at lists.ala.org<mailto:stateifc at lists.ala.org>" <stateifc at lists.ala.org<mailto:stateifc at lists.ala.org>>, George Eberhart <geberhart at ala.org<mailto:geberhart at ala.org>>
Subject: [ftrf-l] FTRF and ALA join amicus brief asserting readers’ First Amendment right to be free of NSA’s online surveillance
Reply-To: ftrf-l at lists.ala.org<mailto:ftrf-l at lists.ala.org>
The Freedom to Read Foundation<http://www.ftrf.org/> (FTRF) and American Library Association<http://www.ala.org/> (ALA) on Thursday joined with booksellers, international librarians, and research librarians to file an amicus brief defending their ability – and the ability of similar organizations – to challenge on behalf of their users government actions that burden readers' First Amendment rights.   The amicus brief was filed in support of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit  Wikimedia Foundation v. National Security Agency<https://www.aclu.org/cases/wikimedia-v-nsa-challenge-upstream-surveillance-under-fisa-amendments-act?redirect=national-security/wikimedia-v-nsa>.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union<https://www.aclu.org/> (ACLU)  on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation<https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Home> and a broad coalition of educational, human rights, legal, and media organizations.   It challenges the National Security Agency's "Upstream" surveillance program.  According to NSA, the "Upstream" surveillance program involves copying Internet traffic—including e-mails, chat, web browsing and other communications—as the data traverses the fiber optic backbone of the Internet.

This means that the NSA is looking over every reader's shoulders while they're online, compromising the privacy of every library user and bookstore patron who searches a library's or bookseller's online catalog, obtains an e-book, or consults online databases and journals for research, and deterring individuals from exercising their First Amendment right to obtain and read materials that are controversial or reflect deeply private concerns.

The amicus brief, written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation<https://www.eff.org/> on behalf of the library and bookseller organizations, explains the importance of privacy to the unfettered exercise of First Amendment rights and argues that libraries, booksellers, and similar organizations can assert the rights of their users  related to privacy concerns associated with government access to, and surveillance of, users' reading habits.  It further emphasizes the chill on First Amendment rights that results when the government has unrestricted access to the records of what users read and view online.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation<https://www.eff.org/> provides more information on their website<https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/09/eff-asks-court-behalf-libraries-and-booksellers-recognize-readers-right-be-free>, and the full brief is attached to this email and can be read online at this link<https://www.eff.org/files/2015/09/03/wikimedia_amicus_brief_filed.pdf>.   The ACLU has full details about Wikimedia Foundation v. NSA on its website, linked here<https://www.aclu.org/cases/wikimedia-v-nsa-challenge-upstream-surveillance-under-fisa-amendments-act?redirect=national-security/wikimedia-v-nsa>.    Other amici on the brief include the American Booksellers Association<http://www.bookweb.org/>, the Association of Research Libraries<http://www.arl.org/>, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions<http://www.ifla.org/>.

Link: http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=5531

Deborah Caldwell-Stone
Deputy Director
Office for Intellectual Freedom
American Library Association
The Freedom to Read Foundation
50 East Huron, Chicago, IL  60611
800-545-2433 x 4224
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150904/37fb7a96/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 5522 bytes
Desc: image003.jpg
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150904/37fb7a96/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: wikimedia_amicus_brief_filed.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 393099 bytes
Desc: wikimedia_amicus_brief_filed.pdf
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150904/37fb7a96/attachment-0001.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150904/37fb7a96/attachment-0001.htm>