Secrecy and Surveillance
The courts have recognized that the public’s right to know what the government is doing is protected by the First Amendment. Indeed, it is difficult to see how democracy would function without government transparency, and the ability of the people to hold elected officials and other government actors accountable.
Exceptions to this general principle of transparency – such as the US Supreme Court’s recognition of the government’s interest to keep secret information about wartime troop deployments – are very narrow, precisely because our system of self-government requires that the American people be well-informed and have access to all information, ideas and points of view.
Therefore, the ACLU works to bring to light – and to public attention – government activities that would otherwise remain shrouded in secrecy. We advocate for robust application of fair information principles, improvements to our outdated state public records law, and public reporting on government activities that impact civil liberties, and we oppose restrictions on people’s rights to obtain information from our government.
Find out more at PrivacySOS.org, the ACLU of Massachusetts website devoted entirely to privacy and surveillance issues.
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