Petition Restore Fully Free and Open Access to the ACM Digital Library

"We, the undersigned, applaud the spirit of "ACM Open," the Association for Computing Machinery's vaunted, long awaited transition to full open access for all publications...

We therefore strongly oppose the very recent introduction of a new metadata/search/commentary paywall at the ACM Digital Library (DL). The new paywall was implemented, on the eve of the 2025 winter holidays, to the surprise and dismay of many volunteers whose unpaid labor makes ACM and the DL possible: conference organizers, authors, and reviewers. The new paywall contradicts the spirit and stated goals of ACM Open, negates much of the value of open-access publications, and harms our entire profession by placing an embargo on the intellectual heritage of computing....

Volunteer labor is the foundation of ACM's existence. The new paywall attempts to monetize volunteers' contributions, which were intended for the benefit of the public."