Glassdoor Takes Fight for Free Speech to U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Glassdoor Takes Fight for Free Speech to U.S. Ninth Circuit Curt of AppealsGlassdoor Takes Fight for Free Speech to U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals UPDATE In November 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Glassdoors appeal. The company released the following statement We are disappointed in the Ninth Circuit Courts decision denying our appeal to protect the identities of eight Glassdoor users whose contact information was being sought in connection with a federal criminal investigation into alleged fraud, waste, and abuse of federal funds. The case sought to unmask Glassdoor users who might be qualifikation witnesses against the company under government investigation.We argued that the lower court applied the wrong standard in placing the interests of government ahead of Americans protected free speech rights under the First Amendment. We had hoped to persuade the Ninth Circuit Court to require a higher standard for these requests. Glassdoor vigorously fights for our users First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, including sharing opinions online about their workplaces anonymously.An individuals right to anonymous free speech which includes the ability of people to leave anonymous reviews of their workplace experiences is a cornerstone of our society that inherently helps others and should be protected. Whether in court or the legislature, with regulatory agencies or in public discourse, Glassdoor fights to defend anonymous free speech because we believe greater transparency around jobs and companies will allow people to make more informed decisions about where they choose to work. Over our nine-year history, courts have almost always ruled that Glassdoor reviews are protected opinion. To date, we have succeeded in protecting the anonymity of our members in more than 80 cases. Here is a representative sample of our legal efforts .In recent days, we launched an appeal of a U.S. District Court decision in Arizona to force us to unmask the identities of several Glassdoor members who anonymously shared their experiences and opinions about their workplaces and company leadership. The case involves Glassdoor vs. the U.S. government, which is seeking Glassdoor member identities to be potential witnesses related to a company under government investigation. We believe the lower court applied the wrong standard in placing the interests of government ahead of Americans protected free speech rights under the First Amendment. We hope to persuade the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to require a higher standard for these requests.There are several respected organizations and companies that support First Amendment rights and protections as well as personal privacy. We are in the process of coordinating with organizations and companies that might file Friend of the Court briefs to ask the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to require the government to meet a higher standard before infringing on the free speech rights of Americans. Some organizations have already offered their words of supportIf your organization is interested in participating to support free speech protections and a higher standard for government inquiries, please contact the Glassdoor Legal team at freespeechrightsglassdoor.com .