Civil liberties protect the right of an individual to form and express personal preferences or beliefs and to act freely on those preferences or beliefs, in private, without intrusive interference from the government (Schmidt). In contrast, civil rights emphasize a person's right as a citizen to engage freely and fairly in public affairs and politics so that the person can advance his or her preferred public policy (Schmidt). Another difference is that the government guarantees and protects civil rights to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination, while the constitution/founding document guarantees civil liberties to all citizens