A group of free speech advocates and tech policy organizations today sent a letter to Congress expressing concern about the free speech implications of a proposed TikTok ban. The letter–signed by 16 organizations, including the Knight Institute, PEN America, ACLU, and the Center for Democracy and Technology–outlines how current legislative and administrative proposals to ban TikTok would infringe on Americans’ First Amendment rights and set a dangerous precedent for restricting speech in the digital public sphere.

The letter states: “The Supreme Court has recognized that the digital realm is currently ‘one of the most important places to exchange views.’ People in the U.S. have a constitutional right to speak via the internet, and to do so on the platform of their choosing. For citizens, and particularly the tens of millions of young Americans who use TikTok, to witness a popular social media platform summarily shut down by the government will raise serious questions in the minds of a rising generation about the sanctity of free speech in our system of governance.”

Read the full letter here.