Bio
Kate Ruane was previously a senior legislative counsel with the ACLU, where she advocated for the protection of free speech from government incursion. She also worked to ensure that consumers’ privacy is protected when they share their information with companies that collect their data.
Before joining the ACLU, she was a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for 11 years. CRS is a nonpartisan federal agency that provides in-depth research and analysis on some of the most challenging questions faced by members of Congress and their staff as they consider legislation. In her role at CRS, Kate served as an expert on the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause. She also covered issues involving telecommunications and consumer privacy.
Kate received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in May of 2007 and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002.
Featured work
![Face recognition and personal identification technologies in street surveillance cameras, scanned over crowd of passers-by](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/06/Face-Recognition-0617-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Jun 17, 2021
Grassroots Activists are Leading the Fight to Stop Face Recognition. It’s Time for Congress to Step Up, Too.
![Man holding iPhone with social media icons displayed on the screen](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/06/Social-Media-Ban-Header-400x266.jpg)
Jun 15, 2021
The Problem With Censoring Political Speech Online – Including Trump’s
![Donald Trump's Facebook profile on a web browser.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/05/WEB21-Trump-Facebook-WordPress-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
May 6, 2021
The Oversight Board’s Trump Decision Highlights Problems with Facebook’s Practices
![A picture of a black family smiling together as they stare at a computer, with a blue overlay on the photo.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/04/Intro-Broadband-Full-Bleed-Header-400x266.jpg)
Apr 28, 2021
How Broadband Access Advances Systemic Equality
![Social media apps on a smart phone.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/04/WEB21-Social-Media-Apps-Standard-Header-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Apr 21, 2021
Privacy Rights Do Not Come With a Price Tag
![People standing at a crosswalk with face recognition software boxes superimposed over their faces.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/02/WEB21-Face-Recognition-Crosswalk-Standard-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Feb 17, 2021
Biden Must Halt Face Recognition Technology to Advance Racial Equity
![Icons of social media apps including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat on an iPhone screen.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/10/Section-230-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Oct 27, 2020
Dear Congress: Platform Accountability Should Not Threaten Online Expression
![Person typing on a laptop, depicting data breach with animation of open lock over image.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/06/EARN-IT-Act-Blog-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Jun 30, 2020
The EARN IT Act is a Disaster for Online Speech and Privacy, Especially for the LGBTQ and Sex Worker Communities
![President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order aimed at curbing protections for social media giants, taken in the Oval Office of White House](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/05/Trump-EO-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
May 29, 2020
President Trump has No Idea How Online Speech Works