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American Civil Liberties Union

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Encyclopedia of Big Data

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American legal advocacy organization that defends US Constitutional rights through civil litigation, lobbying efforts, educational campaigns, and community organization. While not its sole purpose, the organization has historically focused much of its attention on issues surrounding the freedom of expression, and as expression has become increasingly mediated through online channels, the ACLU has fought numerous battles to protect individuals’ First and Fourth Amendment rights of free online expression, unsurveilled by government or corporate authorities.

Founded in 1920, the ACLU has been at the forefront of a number of precedent-setting cases in the US court system. It is perhaps most well-known for its defense of First Amendment rights, particularly in its willingness to take on unpopular or controversial cases, but has also regularly fought for equal access and protection from discrimination (particularly for groups of people who have...

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Further Readings

  • American Civil Liberties Union. (2014). Key Issues/About Us. Available at https://www.aclu.org/key-issues.

  • Herman, S. N. (2011). Taking liberties: The war on terror and the erosion of American democracy. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Klein, W., & Baldwin, R. N. (2006). Liberties lost: The endangered legacy of the ACLU. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group.

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  • Walker, S. (1999). In defense of American liberties: A history of the ACLU. Carbondale, IL: SIU Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Communication Studies Department, Niagara University, Niagara, NY, USA

    Doug Tewksbury

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  1. Doug Tewksbury
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Correspondence to Doug Tewksbury .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

    Laurie A. Schintler

  2. School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

    Connie L. McNeely

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Tewksbury, D. (2018). American Civil Liberties Union. In: Schintler, L., McNeely, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Big Data. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32001-4_5-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32001-4_5-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32001-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32001-4

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