The CDT seeks to mitigate online media censorship, enable individuals to access information freely without retaliation or punishment, and encourages consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet.

[3] The CDT strives to act as a non-partisan body, drawing together perspectives from varying backgrounds to emphasize the importance of technology's role in the freedom, expression, security, privacy, and integrity of the individual.

[5] In its early years, CDT fought the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in its attempt to restrict free expression online for the sake of child safety.

Against the proposed government censorship of the CDA, the CIEC maintained that both child safety and free speech could be protected by giving users the right to control their own content access.

Testifying before Congress, CDT argued that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should be able to develop rules to protect both adults' and children's privacy online.

In support, hundreds of concerned parties signed onto the listing of principles, urging the FEC to drop its proposed rules and Congress to end the rule-making.

In 2006, CDT united with the Business for Social Responsibility to assemble human rights advocates, companies, researchers, and investors to deal with government calls for censorship and restriction of information access.

[6] The pairing has successfully worked together to create an accountability framework and principles for the Global Network Initiative (GNI), a human rights organization that promotes the privacy of individual users while preventing online censorship by authoritarian governments.

[12] CDT conducted legal analysis to show how DPI advertising practices could violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and testified before Congress.

Without planning, such adverse impacts could drive opposition to the Smart Grid and prompt a backlash against data collection that could be socially beneficial when limited to the narrow purposes of improving efficiency".

[14] Later in 2010, CDT launched the Digital Due Process Coalition, establishing four principles for Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) reform.

The campaign for ECPA reform has brought the need for extending full constitutional protections to the Internet to the forefront of the national debate and has resulted in 2013 coalition-supported bipartisan bills in both houses of Congress.

OECD's 34 member states committed to respect human rights, open governance, rule of law, and consideration of numerous viewpoints by accepting the principles.

CDT continues to work with an expanding group of partners motivated by civil society concern to preserve the free and open nature of the Internet.

By collecting CRS reports acquired by organizations and citizens through direct appeals to their representatives, the OpenCRS website served as a valuable repository of information.

[25] By offering up extensive expertise, CDT has ensured that any EU regulation on Internet neutrality takes into account the central tenet of nondiscrimination.

[26] The NSA argued that government access to cryptographic keys was essential to national security – CDT and its allies claimed that the clipper chip would introduce greater vulnerabilities into the country's communications networks.

[29] On March 17, 2016, the CDT released a statement about the senates unwillingness to vote in favor of or against Merrick Garlands nomination to the Supreme Court, opting to wait for the election cycle.

This was following Vizio being fined by the FTC for tracking what users were viewing, and matching it to other identifying information collected about the consumer, eventually getting sold to third-parties interested in such data.

The Center for Democracy and Technology praised this, quoting them referring to the executive order "was an attempt to use threats of retaliation to coerce social media companies into allowing disinformation and hateful speech to go unchecked.

"[35] In September 2020, the CDT organized a coalition opposed to the then recently proposed EARN IT Act, stating that the bill would potentially result in "online censorship disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, jeopardize access to encrypted services, and risk undermining child abuse prosecutions".

Her concerns were about them adversely effecting candidates with disabilities, as artificial intelligence will likely use data from gamified tests like Pymetrics to make hiring decisions.

[39] In April 2019, Michelle Richardson, a director of the privacy and data project CDT she formerly head, commented on an article saying that federal regulation regarding social media, and the internet was inevitable.

"[43] Formerly directed by Michelle Richardson,[44] CDT's Privacy and Data Project was created to examine the evolving role of technology in daily life, considering its influence on individuals, communities, and law.

In particular, CDT observes the application and the boundaries of the First Amendment online in many circumstances, due to the constantly changing nature of the internet and other technologies that allow the spread of mass information at large.

CDT's Free Expression team currently focuses on subjects such as Digital Copyright, Intermediary Liability, Children's Privacy, and Net Neutrality.

The team meets with different companies, academic institutions, and government officials to enact change and make sure of consumer transparency on possible platform moderation practices that could affect the user’s rights.

[57] On November 16, 2021, the CDT filed a brief to urge to 11th circuit to affirm preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of Florida’s social media law.

With their presence in Brussels, CDT has made efforts to promote their agenda overseas by advocating for the establishment of an open and inclusive Internet in collaboration with the EU's Member States, civil society, public institutions, and technology sector.

[64] The CDT recently Join AJL, ACLU, Color of Change and other organizations in order to urge the secretary of commerce to fill Artificial Intelligence advisory committees with experienced civil rights advocates.