EFF: Trump’s Blocking People From His Twitter Account Violates the First Amendment

["DAVID FARBER" <dfarber () me com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: EFF Press <press () eff org>
> Date: November 6, 2017 at 7:03:58 PM EST
> To: dfarber () me com
> Subject: EFF: Trump’s Blocking People From His Twitter Account Violates the First Amendment
> Reply-To: EFF Press <press () eff org>
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> This is a friendly message from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. View it in a web browser.
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> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
> Contact:
> David Greene
> Civil Liberties Director
> davidg () eff org
> +1 415-436-9333 x143
>
> Trump’s Blocking People From His Twitter Account Violates the First Amendment, EFF Tells Court
> Agencies’ and Officials’ Social Media Posts Are Vital Communications That Can’t Be Denied to People Whose Views 
> Officials Don’t Like
>
> NEW YORK, NEW YORK—President Donald Trump's blocking of people on Twitter who criticize him violates their 
> constitutional right to receive government messages transmitted through social media and participate in the forums 
> created by them, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) told a court today.
>
> Public agencies and officials, from city mayors and county sheriff offices to U.S. Secretaries of State and members 
> of Congress, routinely use social media to communicate opinions, official positions, services, and important public 
> safety and policy messages. Twitter has become a vital communications tool for government, allowing local and federal 
> officials to transmit information when natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires strike, hold online town 
> halls, and answer citizens’ questions about programs.
>
> President Trump’s frequent use of Twitter to communicate policy decisions, air opinions on local and global events 
> and leaders, and broadcast calls for congressional action has become a hallmark of his administration. In July, the 
> Knight First Amendment Institute filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging 
> the president and his communications team violated the First Amendment by blocking seven people from the 
> @realDonaldTrump Twitter account because they criticized the president or his policies. The seven individuals include 
> a university professor, a surgeon, a comedy writer, a community organizer, an author, a legal analyst, and a police 
> officer.
>
> In a brief filed today siding with the plaintiffs, EFF maintains that President Trump’s use of his Twitter account is 
> akin to past presidents’ adoption of new communication technologies to engage directly with the public. President 
> Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered “fireside chats” with Americans over the radio, while presidential debates began 
> being televised in the 1960s. It would be impermissible for a president to block certain individuals from receiving 
> their messages, whether delivered by bullhorn, radio, or television. It should be the same for communications 
> delivered by Twitter.
>
> On the local level, mayors use their Twitter feeds to direct residents to emergency services during storms and 
> hurricanes, while fire chiefs use their feeds to transmit evacuation orders and emergency contact information. 
> Citizens rely heavily on these channels for authoritative and reliable information in times of public safety crisis. 
> It’s unthinkable, and unconstitutional, that certain people would be blocked from these messages because they sent a 
> tweet criticizing the official or office maintaining the Twitter account.
>
> “Governmental use of social media platforms to communicate to and with the public, and allow the public to 
> communicate with each other, is pervasive. It is seen all across the country, at every level of government. It is now 
> the rule of democratic engagement, not the exception,” said EFF Civil Liberties Director David Greene. “The First 
> Amendment prohibits the exclusion of individuals from these forums based on their viewpoint. President Trump’s 
> blocking of people on Twitter because he doesn’t like their views infringes on their right to receive public messages 
> from government and participate in the democratic process.”
>
> For the brief:
> https://www.eff.org/document/knight-first-amendment-institute-v-trump
>
> For information about the lawsuit:
> https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-v-trump-lawsuit-challenging-president-trumps-blocking-critics-twitter
>
> For this release:
> https://www.eff.org/press/releases/trumps-blocking-people-his-twitter-account-violates-first-amendment-eff-tells-court
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> About EFF
>
> The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. 
> Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, 
> and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology 
> grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.
>
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>
> Electronic Frontier Foundation, 815 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 USA.
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