COVID 19 is a serious world health crisis. People are right to be concerned, and we must take urgent action as a society to protect vulnerable people and contain the spread of this virus.

But we also must remain vigilant and refuse to allow politicians and governments to exploit this crisis in order to crack down on freedom of expression, civil liberties, and human rights. Increased surveillance, censorship, and other authoritarian policies will make people less safe, not more safe. Transparency and freedom are essential ingredients to real public health.

In the United States, lawmakers considered reauthorizing controversial USA PATRIOT ACT surveillance powers as part of a Coronavirus spending bill. In China and Russia, authorities are actively censoring online information about the virus, and expanding their already sprawling facial recognition programs, claiming it’s in response to the outbreak. If people don’t speak up, government crackdowns on our basic freedoms will spread as quickly as the virus itself.

Sign the petition to world leaders: “Cracking down on civil liberties, free speech, and human rights won’t protect us from COVID 19. Don’t exploit this crisis to take away our basic rights.”