Hi All,

I’m writing to let you know that today the Wikimedia Foundation[1] is filing suit against the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney General[2] in order to challenge certain mass surveillance practices carried out by the U.S. government. We believe these practices are impinging the freedom to learn, inquire, and explore on Wikimedia sites.

Since the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures, we’ve heard concerns from the community about privacy on Wikipedia. This lawsuit is a step towards addressing the community's justified concerns. We believe that the surveillance methods being employed by the NSA under the authority of the FISA Amendments Act negatively impact our users' ability and willingness to participate in our projects. Today, we fight back.

An op-ed by Lila and Jimmy about the lawsuit, and Wikimedia's stance on government surveillance, appeared in The New York Times this morning. Additionally, we just published a blog post with more information about the suit. (The post will also up on Meta for translation).

Best,

Michelle Paulson

Senior Legal Counsel

Wikimedia Foundation

mpaulson@wikimedia.org

[1] We are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Other plaintiffs include The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, Pen American Center, Global Fund for Women, The Nation Magazine, The Rutherford Institute, and Washington Office on Latin America.

[2] Other named defendants include: Michael Rogers, in his official capacity as Director of the National Security Agency and Chief of the Central Security Service; Office of the Director of National Intelligence; James Clapper, in his official capacity as Director of National Intelligence; and Eric Holder, in his official capacity as Attorney General of the United States.