This Guide has been developed to help companies address user privacy and protection of free speech in a manner that both benefits the company and protects user interests. This section provides an overview of the reasons that companies should be concerned about privacy and free speech issues. The following sections contain specific business tips to aid you in building privacy and free speech into new products and businesses, as well as real-life case studies of companies that have succeeded or failed when they encountered a challenge related to privacy or freedom of speech.




The ACLU of Northern California wishes to thank the following funders for their support of this publication: Block v. eBay cy pres fund, California Consumer Protection Foundation, Consumer Privacy Cases cy pres fund, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, The David B. Gold Foundation.

For more information about how your company can build proper privacy and free speech safeguards into your products and business plans, please contact the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the ACLU of Northern California and visit our Web site and blog at aclunc.org/tech.