Civil liberties protect an individual's right to form and express personal preferences or beliefs, and to act freely on those preferences or beliefs, in the private sphere, without intrusive interference from the government (Schmidt). Rather, civil rights emphasize a person's right as a citizen to engage freely and equally in public affairs and politics so that the person can promote the public policy that she prefers (Schmidt). Another difference is that the government grants and protects civil rights to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination, whereas the constitution/founding document grants civil liberties to all citizens.