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American Civil Liberties Union - Wikipedia
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The ACLU is a major civil liberties organization whose legal advocacy on privacy, surveillance, free speech, and due process intersects with AI governance and policy debates around algorithmic accountability, facial recognition, and civil rights implications of AI deployment.
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Summary
This Wikipedia article provides an overview of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nonprofit founded in 1920 that advocates for civil liberties through litigation, lobbying, and public education. The ACLU's work spans free speech, privacy, anti-discrimination, and government accountability—areas increasingly relevant to AI policy. Its positions and legal actions shape the regulatory and rights-based landscape in which AI systems are deployed.
Key Points
- •The ACLU is a major U.S. civil liberties organization with a $383M budget and 1.7 million members, active in all 50 states.
- •It engages in direct legal representation, amicus briefs, and policy lobbying on issues including privacy, discrimination, and government overreach.
- •ACLU positions on surveillance, algorithmic discrimination, and facial recognition technology are directly relevant to AI governance debates.
- •The organization advocates against discrimination based on race, gender, and LGBTQ+ status—areas where AI bias is a documented concern.
- •Its secularist, rights-based framework influences how civil liberties arguments are applied to emerging technology policy.
2 FactBase facts citing this source
| Entity | Property | Value | As Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) | Founded Date | Jan 1920 | — |
| American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) | employee-count | 1400 | 2024 |
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American Civil Liberties Union - Wikipedia
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legal advocacy organization in the United States
For the conservative legal aid group founded in the 1990s, see American Civil Rights Union .
"ACLU" redirects here. For the Australian organisation (1980–2004), see Australian Civil Liberties Union .
American Civil Liberties Union Predecessor National Civil Liberties Bureau Formation January 19, 1920 ; 106 years ago  ( 1920-01-19 ) [ 1 ] Founders Jeannette Rankin
Roger Nash Baldwin
Crystal Eastman
Helen Keller
Walter Nelles
Morris Ernst
Albert DeSilver
Arthur Garfield Hays
Jane Addams
Felix Frankfurter
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Type 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization Tax ID no. 13-3871360 Purpose Civil liberties advocacy Headquarters 125 Broad Street , New York City, U.S. Region served United States Membership 1.7   million (2024) [ 3 ] President Deborah Archer Executive Director Anthony Romero Budget $383   million (2024; combined ACLU and Foundation, excludes affiliates) [ 2 ] : 22–3  Staff 500 staff attorneys [ 4 ] Volunteers Several thousand attorneys [ 5 ] Website www .aclu .org
The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states , Washington, D.C. , and Puerto Rico . The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.
The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases where it considers civil liberties at risk with advocacy from a secularist stance against excessive religious entanglement over the United States government. Legal support from the ACLU can take the form of direct legal representation or preparation of amicus curiae briefs expressing legal arguments when another law firm is already providing representation. In addition to representing persons and organizations in lawsuits, the ACLU lobbies for policy positions established by its board of directors.
The ACLU's current positions include opposing the death penalty ; supporting same-sex marriage and the right of LGBTQ+ people to adopt ; supporting reproductive rights such as birth control and abortion rights ; eliminating discrimination against women, minorities , and LGBTQ+ people; decarceration in the United States ; protecting housing and employment rights of veterans ; reforming sex offender registries and protecting housing and employment rights of convicted first-time offenders; supporting the rights of prisoners and opposing torture ; upholding the separation of church and state by opposing government preference for religion over nonbelief in religious doctrine or for particular faiths over others; and supporting the legality of gender-affirming treatments, includi
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