Coalition Cautions Against Action That Undermines Net Freedoms

A coalition of public interest, privacy and civil liberties groups released an open letter to the Obama Administration and lawmakers urging them not to push legislation that might weaken free expression or hamper online freedoms in response to the release of classified documents by WikiLeaks. In the letter, the groups noted that some critics of the whistleblower website have suggested that the Espionage Act be extended to WikiLeaks for releasing sensitive government documents to the public, which most recently included a batch of U.S. diplomatic cables. "We urge caution against any legislation that could weaken the principles of free expression vital to a democratic society or hamper online freedoms," according to the letter signed by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology and others.