New Orleans is requiring that businesses keep customer logs as a condition of being able to reopen. Not only is it difficult for most businesses to comply, this mandate also violates constitutional privacy. Read More »

New Orleans business owners will need to keep records of who enters their establishments when the city begins easing restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Tuesday. Read More »

Three people were arrested today during a rally at the Hawaii State Capitol to protest local government restrictions aimed at stopping COVID-19. Read More »

Hundreds of St. Louis citizens who snitched to the government about businesses that defied closure orders are discovering that their messages are not confidential and their identities are subject to sunshine laws. Read More »

Many of us in the free speech community have warned about the growing insatiable appetite for censorship in the West. Yet we have been losing the fight, and free speech opponents are now capitalizing on the opportunity presented by the pandemic. Read More »

This timeline tracks the free expression concerns raised as governments and private companies enact emergency measures to contain and manage the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Along with new regulations issued in the interest of public health come concerns about incursions on civil liberties and threats to free expression. Free speech and civil liberties advocates anticipated some of these concerns, but as regulations change and the crisis continues, new and unexpected issues arise. Read More »

At a moment when our society is desperate to find innovative solutions to daunting political problems, we should loudly condemn any surveillance efforts which might chill our ability to freely discuss and associate about pressing issues. Read More »

Whether it’s people standing too close together in a line, a grocery store crowded with shoppers, or a neighbor’s party, New York City officials want residents to report those who are violating social distancing protocols. They’ve made the process easy: snap a photo and text it to 311. Read More »

In Alaska, a log with every customer’s first and last name and contact phone number must be maintained by the restaurant and kept for 30 days in case it’s "needed for contact tracing." Read More »

“The government can’t, under the First Amendment, pick and choose the message it likes. It can’t enforce one law against a message it disagrees with and not enforce the same law (in favor of a) message it agrees with.” Read More »