FALA and David Post join CDT in Doe v. Snyder amicus on Internet identifier laws

The Center for Democracy & Technology has filed an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit case Doe v. Snyder, challenging unconstitutional registration requirements imposed on former sex offenders in Michigan. CDT is joined on the brief by the First Amendment Lawyers Association and Professor David G. Post, an expert in Internet law.

Michigan’s sex offender statute requires that individuals report and register all of the usernames and accounts they create primarily for online communication. Such “Internet identifier” registration laws severely restrict individuals’ ability to access and share information and ideas and participate in online life, impairing their personal, educational, and professional development.

In the brief, CDT argues that Michigan’s “Internet identifier” registration requirement is a content-based prior restraint on speech that deprives former offenders of their First Amendment rights.