Looking Forward and Back at the California State Legislature
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/looking-forward-and-back-california-state-legislature
December 16, 2022, 8:59 PM
California’s legislators took their oaths of office for a fresh two-year session last week. As we prepared for a new session, it’s worth looking back at the past session—in which, with your help, EFF was able to advocate successfully for digital rights victories. California is often seen as a leader in recognizing the importance of privacy, innovation, and free expression. This year, EFF was proud to support legislation that again put the state at the forefront of privacy protections for t...
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Federal Agencies Keep Rejecting FOIA Requests for Their Procedures for Handling FOIA Requests
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/federal-agencies-keep-rejecting-foia-requests-their-procedures-handling-foia
December 16, 2022, 5:30 PM
The majority of federal agencies — including law enforcement agencies like Customs and Border Protection — are refusing to release some of the most basic guidance materials used by their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) offices: procedures for how they do their jobs.
Government Attic, a website that regularly files FOIA requests and posts the provided records, estimates that at least 60 percent of federal agencies, when faced with filling requests for FOIA standard operating procedures (...
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Dangerous "Kids Online Safety Act" Does Not Belong in Must-Pass Legislation
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/dangerous-kids-online-safety-act-does-not-belong-must-pass-legislation
December 15, 2022, 10:31 PM
Every year, Congress must follow through on an enormous and complicated task: agreeing on how to fund the government for the following year. The wrangling over spending often comes down to the wire, and this year, some Senators are considering shoehorning a controversial and unconstitutional bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), into the must-pass legislation. Make no mistake: KOSA is bad enough on its own, but putting KOSA into the “omnibus package” is a terrible idea. 
Amendments Aren�...
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Only A Few More Weeks Left to Support EFF Through The CFC!
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/only-few-more-weeks-left-support-eff-through-cfc-0
December 15, 2022, 5:42 PM
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the world's largest and most successful annual charity campaign for U.S. federal employees and retirees. The pledge period for this year's campaign ends on January 14, 2023, and you can donate to support EFF's mission in fighting for digital freedoms for every internet user.
Donating to EFF through the CFC is easy! Just follow these steps:
Go to GiveCFC.org or scan the QR code below.
Click the DONATE button to give via payroll deduction, credit/debit, or a...
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EFF Agrees With the NLRB: Workers Need Protection Against Bossware
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/eff-agrees-nlrb-workers-need-protection-against-bossware
December 14, 2022, 9:25 PM
The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued an important memo that calls for regulators to protect workers against what she described as “unlawful electronic surveillance and automated management practices.” The NLRB is the independent federal agency charged with defending the collective bargaining rights of workers. In keeping with its mission, it described its plan to enforce currently existing law. It will urge that the board itself and relevant federal agencie...
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Digital Rights Updates with EFFector 34.6
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/digital-rights-updates-effector-346
December 14, 2022, 5:33 PM
Want the latest news on your digital rights? Well, you're in luck! Version 34, issue 6 of our EFFector newsletter is out now. Catch up on the latest EFF news by reading our newsletter or listening to the audio version below. This issue covers a collection of EFF's latest victories (seriously, there are a lot of them!) as well as our thoughts on the "fediverse" and the mess that is the Filter Mandate Bill.
LISTEN ON YouTube
EFFECTOR 34.6 - Victory!
Make sure you never miss an issue by signing up ...
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EFF to Court: No Qualified Immunity for Wrongful Arrest of Independent Journalists
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/eff-court-no-qualified-immunity-wrongful-arrest-independent-journalists
December 13, 2022, 1:29 AM
Independent journalists increasingly gather newsworthy information and publish it on social media, often without the involvement of traditional news media. They make important contributions to public discourse and are often the first to report newsworthy events. Courts must scrupulously safeguard their First Amendment rights to gather and publish the news. (Sometimes they are called “citizen journalists,” but of course, many independent journalists are non-citizens.)
EFF this week filed an a...
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A Promising New GDPR Ruling Against Targeted Ads
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/promising-new-gdpr-ruling-against-targeted-ads
December 9, 2022, 10:18 PM
Targeted advertising’s days may be numbered. The Wall Street Journal and Reuters report that the European Data Protection Board has ruled that Meta cannot continue targeting ads based on user’s online activity without affirmative, opt-in consent. This ruling is based on the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is a big step in the right direction: voluntary opt-in consent should be the baseline requirement for any data collection, retention, or use. And we shoul...
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eIDAS 2.0 Sets a Dangerous Precedent for Web Security
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/eidas-20-sets-dangerous-precedent-web-security
December 9, 2022, 7:35 PM
The Council of the European Union this week adopted new language for regulations governing internet systems that may put the security of your browser at greater risk.
The new language affects the EU’s electronic identification, authentication and trust services (eIDAS) rules, which are supposed to enable secure online transactions across countries in the EU. It contained a range of updates that raised privacy concerns for EU citizens about the European Digital Identity Wallet, a government app...
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VICTORY! Judge’s Critical Investigation of Patent Troll Companies Can Move Forward
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/victory-judges-critical-investigation-patent-troll-companies-can-move-forward
December 8, 2022, 11:55 PM
In recent months, Delaware-based U.S. District Court Judge Colm Connolly started an inquiry into some patent trolling companies that have filed dozens of lawsuits in his court. Last month, lawyers for the patent troll companies appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, seeking to shut down the investigation.
Those events led EFF to file an amicus brief, in which we stood up for the public’s “right … to know who is controlling and benefiting from litigation in publicly-...
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VICTORY! Apple Commits to Encrypting iCloud, Drops Phone-Scanning Plans
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/victory-apple-commits-encrypting-icloud-and-drops-phone-scanning-plans
December 8, 2022, 3:38 AM
Today Apple announced it will provide fully encrypted iCloud backups, meeting a longstanding demand by EFF and other privacy-focused organizations. 
We applaud Apple for listening to experts, child advocates, and users who want to protect their most sensitive data. Encryption is one of the most important tools we have for maintaining privacy and security online. That’s why we included the demand that Apple let users encrypt iCloud backups in the Fix It Already campaign that we launched in 201...
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VICTORY! The Safe Connections Act is Now Law
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/victory-safe-connections-act-now-law
December 8, 2022, 1:27 AM
In the 21st century, it is difficult to lead a life without a cell phone. It is also difficult to change your number—you’ve given it to all your friends, family, doctors, children’s schools, and so on. It’s especially difficult if you are trying to leave an abusive relationship where your abuser is in control of your family’s phone plan and therefore has access to your phone records. 
Thankfully, a bill to change that just became law.
The Safe Connections Act (S. 120) was introduced i...
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DC Circuit Evades Important Questions in Disappointing Ruling on Section 1201 of the DMCA
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/dc-circuit-evades-important-questions-disappointing-ruling-section-1201-dmca
December 7, 2022, 10:31 PM
The Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has issued a disappointing ruling in the case of Green v. DOJ. The ruling left intact a law that has stifled speech and innovation for decades and forced researchers, advocates, teachers, and tinkerers to beg for government permission to do their work. The silver lining: it left many issues in the case to be determined another day.
We partnered with law firm Wilson Sonsini to file this case in 2016 because Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright ...
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VICTORY! San Francisco Bans Killer Robots…For Now
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/victory-san-francisco-bans-killer-robotsfor-now
December 7, 2022, 6:57 PM
In a stunning 8-to-3 vote yesterday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors banned the SFPD from using deadly force with remote-controlled robots. The Board also sent the killer robot policy back to its Rules Committee for revisions and more public comment. This is a big reversal: just one week ago, the Board voted 8-3 to authorize the SFPD to use these killer robots. 
In one week, San Francisco and the greater Bay Area rallied to tell the Board that this policy was unacceptable. That rallying ...
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Network Usage Fees Will Harm European Consumers and Businesses
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/network-usage-fees-will-harm-european-consumers-and-businesses
December 6, 2022, 11:51 PM
Network usage fees, the idea that certain types of companies should pay internet service providers (ISPs) for the ability to deliver their content to consumers, both hurts consumers and breaks the status quo that has facilitated the rapid spread of the global internet. ISPs claim these fees are necessary because the cost for delivering internet services have increased unfairly for them. That is false. Fundamentally network usage fees are a ploy by the largest ISPs to extract monopolistic rents, ...
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The Supreme Court Must Protect Internet Users’ Rights to Access Controversial Information Online
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/supreme-court-must-protect-internet-users-rights-access-controversial-information
December 6, 2022, 11:33 PM
Lawsuits claiming that online services aid terrorist organizations just by hosting their content or having users who espouse the organizations’ views potentially could censor a vast amount of protected expression online, EFF and a coalition of other civil society groups argued in a brief filed this week.
In Twitter v. Taamneh, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that online services can be civilly liable under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) based on claims that the platform ha...
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44 Local Organizations Stand Against SFPD’s Killer Robots
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/40-local-organizations-stand-against-sfpds-killer-robots
December 5, 2022, 9:17 PM
EFF is announcing a letter signed by 44 community groups who stand united in opposition to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors authorizing the San Francisco Police Department to deploy deadly force with remote-control robots. The signers include racial justice groups, civil rights and civil liberties organizations, LGBTQ organizations, and labor unions.
You can read the entire letter here.
From the letter:
“SFPD’s proposal, if approved, threatens the privacy and safety of city residents...
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This Judge’s Investigation Of Patent Trolls Must Be Allowed to Move Forward
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/judges-investigation-patent-trolls-must-be-allowed-move-forward
December 2, 2022, 7:44 PM
If you get sued, you should be able to figure out who sued you. Remarkably, though, people and companies who are accused of patent infringement in federal court often have no idea who is truly behind the lawsuit. Patent trolls, companies whose main business is extorting others over patents, often hide behind limited liability companies (LLCs) that serve to keep secret the names of those who profit from their activities.
This shouldn’t be the case. Earlier this week, EFF filed a brief seeking ...
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India Requires Internet Services to Collect and Store Vast Amount of Customer Data, Building a Path to Mass Surveillance
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/india-requires-internet-services-collect-and-store-vast-amount-customer-data
December 2, 2022, 6:49 PM
Privacy and online free expression are once again under threat in India, thanks to vaguely worded cybersecurity directions—promulgated by India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) earlier this year—that impose draconian mass surveillance obligations on internet services, threatening privacy and anonymity and weakening security online.
Directions 20(3)/2022 - CERT-In came into effect on June 28th, sixty days after being published without stakeholder consultation. Astonishingly, Ind...
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How to Make a Mastodon Account and Join the Fediverse
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/how-make-mastodon-account-and-join-fediverse
December 1, 2022, 8:06 PM
This post is part of a series on Mastodon and the fediverse. We also have a post on understanding the fediverse, privacy and security on Mastodon, and why the fediverse will be great—if we don't screw it up. You can follow EFF on Mastodon here.
The recent chaos at Twitter is a reminder that when you rely on a social media platform, you’re putting your voice, your privacy, and your safety in the hands of the people who run that system. Many people are looking to Mastodon as a backup or rep...
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International Coalition of Rights Groups Call on Internet Infrastructure Providers to Avoid Content Policing
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/international-coalition-rights-groups-call-internet-infrastructure-providers-avoid
December 1, 2022, 5:08 PM
Except in Rare Cases, Intervening to Block Sites or Remove Content Can Harm UsersSan Francisco—Internet infrastructure services—the heart of a secure and resilient internet where free speech and expression flows—should continue to focus their energy on making the web an essential resource for users and, with rare exceptions, avoid content policing. Such intervention often causes more harm than good, EFF and its partners said today.EFF and an international coalition of 56 human and digital ...
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Let Data Breach Victims Sue Marriott
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/let-data-breach-victims-sue-marriott
December 1, 2022, 3:09 AM
A company harvested your personal data, but failed to take basic steps to secure it. So thieves stole it. Now you’ve lost control of your data, and you’re at greater risk of identity theft. But when you sue the negligent company, they say you haven’t really been injured, so you don’t belong in court – not unless you can prove a specific economic harm on top of the obvious privacy harm.
We say “no way.” Along with our friends at EPIC, and with assistance from Morgan & Morgan, EF...
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Let Them Know: San Francisco Shouldn’t Arm Robots
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/let-them-know-san-francisco-shouldnt-arm-robots
November 30, 2022, 11:22 PM
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Nov. 29 voted 8 to 3 to approve on first reading a policy that would formally authorize the San Francisco Police Department to deploy deadly force via remote-controlled robots. The majority fell down the rabbit hole of security theater: doing anything to appear to be fighting crime, regardless of whether or not it has any tangible effect on public safety.
These San Francisco supervisors seem not only willing to approve dangerously broad language about w...
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Coalition of Human Rights, LGBTQ+ Organizations Tell Congress to Oppose the Kids Online Safety Act
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/coalition-human-rights-lgbtq-organizations-tell-congress-oppose-kids-online-safety
November 29, 2022, 6:41 PM
Yesterday, nearly 100 organizations have asked Congress not to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would “force providers to use invasive filtering and monitoring tools; jeopardize private, secure communications; incentivize increased data collection on children and adults; and undermine the delivery of critical services to minors by public agencies like schools.” EFF agrees. 
As we’ve said before, KOSA would not protect the privacy of children or adults, and would force technol...
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Power Up! Donations Get a 2X Match This Week
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/power-donations-get-2x-match-week
November 29, 2022, 4:40 PM
Power Up Your Donation Week is here! Right now, your contribution to the Electronic Frontier Foundation will have double the impact on digital privacy, security, and free speech rights for everyone.
Power Up!
Give today and get an automatic 2X match
A group of passionate EFF supporters created the Power Up Matching Fund and issued this challenge to all supporters of internet freedom: donate to EFF by December 6th and they’ll automatically match it up to a total of $272,000!
This means every do...
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From Camera Towers to Spy Blimps, Border Researchers Now Can Use 65+ Open-licensed Images of Surveillance Tech from EFF
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-releases-images-surveillance-us-mexico-border-under-creative-commons
November 29, 2022, 4:15 PM
The U.S.-Mexico border is one of the most politicized technological spaces in the country, with leaders in both political parties supporting massive spending on border security and the so-called "Virtual Wall." Yet we see little debate over the negative impacts for human rights or the civil liberties of those who live in the borderlands. Despite all the political and media attention devoted to the border, most people hoping to write about, research, or learn how to identify the myriad technologi...
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Red Alert: The SFPD Want the Power to Kill with Robots
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/red-alert-sfpd-want-power-kill-robots
November 28, 2022, 7:56 PM
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will vote soon on a policy that would allow the San Francisco Police Department to use deadly force by arming its many robots. This is a spectacularly dangerous idea and EFF’s stance is clear: police should not arm robots.
TAKE ACTION
EMAIL YOUR SUPERVISOR: don't let SFPD arm robots 
Police technology goes through mission creep–meaning equipment reserved only for specific or extreme circumstances ends up being used in increasingly everyday or casual ...
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Experts Condemn The UK Online Safety Bill As Harmful To Privacy And Encryption
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/experts-condemn-uk-online-safety-bill-harmful-privacy-and-encryption
November 24, 2022, 12:22 AM
The British Parliament may start debating the Online Safety Bill again as soon as this week. The bill is a deeply flawed censorship proposal that would allow U.K. residents to be thrown in jail for what they say online. It would also force online service providers to use government-approved software to search for user content that is deemed to be related to terrorism or child abuse. In the process, it will undermine our right to have a private conversation, and the technologies that protect that...
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Top Prosecutors in CA, NY and DC Are Speaking Up For End-to-End Encryption
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/top-prosecutors-ca-ny-and-dc-are-speaking-end-end-encryption
November 23, 2022, 6:22 PM
We all should have the ability to have a private conversation, and it follows that we need ways to communicate privately online as well. In the digital world, end-to-end encryption is our best chance to maintain our privacy and security. 
In the fraught legal landscape following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, digital privacy around reproductive health has become critical. Several states are already enforcing abortion bans, and the Brennan Center for Justice has noted more than 100 s...
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EFF to Fifth Circuit: The First Amendment Protects the Right to Make Jokes on Social Media
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-fifth-circuit-first-amendment-protects-right-make-jokes-social-media
November 22, 2022, 7:54 PM
EFF intern Izzy Simon contributed to this blog post.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right to free expression and prohibits the government from “abridging the freedom of speech.” This includes protecting an individual's right to make jokes online—even bad or offensive jokes, as well as jokes about the police. TechFreedom and EFF have thus filed an amicus brief asking a federal appellate court in Louisiana, to reaffirm this basic principle after the police ar...
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See What We Accomplished Together in EFF's 2021 Annual Report
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/see-what-we-accomplished-together-effs-2021-annual-report
November 22, 2022, 6:37 PM
EFF's 2021 Annual Report is out now! Enjoy highlights of our work during the calendar year, along with a financial report covering our fiscal year of July 2020 - June 2021. 
EFF leveraged over $15M in public support to defend civil liberties and encourage innovation in the digital world last year. We continued long standing battles against street-level surveillance by companies such as Amazon Ring and technologies like Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). We also reacted to fast-breaking ex...
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EFF, Coalition of California Privacy Advocates Caution Against Weakening CA Privacy Rights
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-coalition-california-privacy-advocates-caution-against-weakening-ca-privacy
November 21, 2022, 11:33 PM
EFF on Monday joined Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, ACLU California Action, Oakland Privacy, Media Alliance and the Consumer Federation of America in submitting comments to the California Privacy Protection Agency. The Agency is currently writing rules for the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by 2020’s California Privacy Rights Act.
In our comments, EFF and other privacy advocates, criticized several changes to the regulations that “appear to set up additional barriers to consumers'...
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EFF Files Comments on the FTC’s Commercial Surveillance Rulemaking
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-files-comments-ftcs-commercial-surveillance-rulemaking
November 21, 2022, 11:28 PM
EFF filed comments with the Federal Trade Commission Monday, in response to the Commission’s request for public comment addressing harmful commercial surveillance and lax data security.
EFF laid out many of its core principles on data privacy regulation in ways that fall in line with the FTC’s authority to address unfair and deceptive practices and protect the competitive process.
The comments urge the Commission to pay attention to specific issue areas and industries, including worker priva...
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VICTORY! Congress Sends the Safe Connections Act to the President’s Desk
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/victory-congress-sends-safe-connections-act-presidents-desk
November 21, 2022, 8:01 PM
In the 21st century, it is difficult to lead a life without a cell phone. It is also difficult to change your number—you’ve given it to all your friends, family, doctors, children’s schools, and so on. It’s especially difficult if you are trying to leave an abusive relationship where your abuser is in control of your family’s phone plan and therefore has access to your phone records. 
Thankfully, Congress just passed a bill that will change that.
The Safe Connections Act (S. 120) was ...
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Monetization, Not Human Rights or Vulnerable Communities, Matter Most at Twitter Under Musk
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/twitters-monetizable-users-not-human-rights-matter-most-under-musks-rein-leaving
November 21, 2022, 7:18 PM
Billionaire Elon Musk says Twitter can be an “incredibly valuable service to the world,” a global forum where ideas and debates flourish. Yet, much of what he has done since taking over the company suggests that he doesn’t understand how to accomplish this, doesn’t appreciate the impact of his decisions on users—especially the most vulnerable—or doesn’t care.Step by step, from the firing of top trust and safety executives and content moderation staff to the disastrous rollout and r...
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Documents Show DOJ’s Multi-Pronged Effort to Undermine Section 230
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/documents-show-dojs-multi-pronged-effort-undermine-section-230
November 21, 2022, 4:02 PM
In the summer of 2020, the Department of Justice was closely monitoring the public and congressional debate about a key law protecting internet users’ speech at the same time that it  pushed to undermine the law, documents show.
DOJ was tracking multiple efforts to repeal or frustrate 47 U.S.C. § 230 (Section 230), including implementation of then-President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional Executive Order and the department’s own proposed amendments to the law. Although all of those effo...
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Leaving Twitter's Walled Garden
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/leaving-twitters-walled-garden
November 18, 2022, 5:28 PM
This post is part of a series on Mastodon and the fediverse. We also have a post on privacy and security on Mastodon, why the fediverse will be great—if we don't screw it up, and how to make a Mastadon account. You can follow EFF on Mastodon here.
A wave of people have announced that they're leaving Twitter to check out something called Mastodon, and that leaves many wondering, what is Mastodon anyway? More importantly, what is the “fediverse” and what is “ActivityPub”? This explainer...
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KOSA Would Let the Government Control What Young People See Online
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/kosa-would-let-government-control-what-young-people-see-online
November 17, 2022, 10:17 PM
The latest version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is focused on removing online information that people need to see—people of all ages. Letting governments—state or federal—decide what information anyone needs to see is a dangerous endeavor. On top of that, this bill, supposedly designed to protect our privacy, actually requires tech companies to collect more data on internet users than they already do. 
EFF has long supported comprehensive privacy protections, but the details matte...
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EFF's Atlas of Surveillance Database Now Documents 10,000+ Police Tech Programs
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/effs-atlas-surveillance-database-now-documents-10000-police-tech-programs
November 17, 2022, 9:04 PM
This week, EFF's Atlas of Surveillance project hit a bittersweet milestone.
With this project, we are creating a searchable and mappable repository of which law enforcement agencies in the U.S. use surveillance technologies such as body-worn cameras, drones, automated license plate readers, and face recognition. It's one of the most ambitious projects we've ever attempted. 
Working with journalism students at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), our initial semester-long pilot in 2019 result...
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Is Mastodon Private and Secure? Let’s Take a Look
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/mastodon-private-and-secure-lets-take-look
November 16, 2022, 10:00 PM
This post is part of a series on Mastodon and the fediverse. We also have a post on what the fediverse is, why the fediverse will be great—if we don't screw it up, and how to make a Mastadon account. You can follow EFF on Mastodon here.
With so many users migrating to Mastodon as their micro-blogging service of choice, a lot of questions are being raised about the privacy and security of the platform. Though in no way comprehensive, we have a few thoughts we’d like to share on the topic.
Es...
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The Fediverse Could Be Awesome (If We Don’t Screw It Up)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/fediverse-could-be-awesome-if-we-dont-screw-it
November 16, 2022, 8:21 PM
This post is part of a series on Mastodon and the fediverse. We also have a post on what the fediverse is, security and privacy on Mastodon, and how to make a Mastadon account. You can follow EFF on Mastodon here.
Something remarkable is happening. For the past two weeks, people have been leaving Twitter. Many others are reducing their reliance on it. Great numbers of ex-Twitter users and employees are making a new home in the “fediverse,” fleeing the chaos of Elon Musk’s takeover. This e...
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Celebrating the Life of Aaron Swartz: Nov. 12 and Nov. 13
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/celebrating-life-aaron-swartz-nov-12-and-nov-13
November 11, 2022, 6:35 PM
This weekend, EFF is celebrating the life and work of programmer, activist, and entrepreneur Aaron Swartz by participating in the 2022 Aaron Swartz Day and Hackathon. This year, the event will be held in person at the Internet Archive in San Francisco on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13. It will also be livestreamed; links to the livestream will be posted each morning.
Those interested in attending in-person or remotely can register for the event here.
Aaron Swartz was a digital rights champion who believed ...
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EFF Files Amicus Brief Challenging Orange County, CA’s Controversial DNA Collection Program
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-files-amicus-brief-challenging-orange-county-cas-controversial-dna-collection
November 10, 2022, 10:58 PM
Should the government be allowed to collect your DNA—and retain it indefinitely—if you’re arrested for a low-level offense like shoplifting a tube of lipstick, driving without a valid license, or walking your dog off leash? We don’t think so. As we argue in an amicus brief filed in support of a case called Thompson v. Spitzer at the California Court of Appeal, this practice not only impinges on misdemeanor arrestees’ privacy and liberty rights, but also violates the California Constitu...
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The Rise of the Police-Advertiser
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/rise-police-advertiser
November 9, 2022, 9:31 PM
In August, the Tulsa police department held a press conference about how its new Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), a controversial piece of surveillance technology, was the policing equivalent of “turning the lights on” for the first time. In Ontario, California, the city put out a press release about how its ALPRs were a “vital resource.” In Madison, South Dakota, local news covered how the city’s expenditure of $30,000 for ALPRs “paid off” twice in two days.  
All these s...
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EFF Award Winner: Kyle Wiens
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-award-winner-kyle-wiens
November 9, 2022, 8:44 PM
For over thirty years, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has awarded those paving the way for freedom and innovation in the digital world. Countless luminaries working in digital privacy and free speech gathered for this Pioneer Award Ceremony in San Francisco over the decades. This year, we are excited to relaunch that annual celebration as the first-ever EFF Awards!
The EFF Awards is a new ceremony dedicated to the growing digital rights communities whose technical, social, economic, an...
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Sacramento County Resident Joins EFF Lawsuit After Illegal Sharing of His Electricity Usage Data Makes Him a Target of Law Enforcement
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/sacramento-county-resident-joins-eff-lawsuit-after-illegal-sharing-his-electricity
November 9, 2022, 6:54 PM
The Sacramento County Utility District (SMUD) and the Sacramento Police Department are running an illegal data sharing scheme, with the police making bulk requests for customers’ energy usage data to enforce a cannabis grow ordinance, according to a new EFF lawsuit.The secret data sharing arrangement violates SMUD customers’ privacy rights under state law and the California Constitution, while disproportionately subjecting Asian and Asian American communities to police scrutiny.Alfonso Nguye...
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The Filter Mandate Bill Is a Privacy and Security Mess
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/filter-mandate-bill-privacy-and-security-mess
November 8, 2022, 11:32 PM
Among its many other problems, the Strengthening Measures to Advance Rights Technologies Copyright Act would mandate a slew of filtering technologies that online service providers must "accommodate." And that mandate is broad, so poorly-conceived, and so technically misguided that it will inevitably create serious privacy and security risks. 
Since 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has required services to accommodate "standard technical measures" to reduce infringement. The DMC...
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EFF Award Winner: Digital Defense Fund
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-award-winner-digital-defense-fund
November 8, 2022, 7:27 PM
For over thirty years, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has awarded those paving the way for freedom and innovation in the digital world. Countless luminaries working in digital privacy and free speech gathered for this Pioneer Award Ceremony in San Francisco over the decades. This year, we are excited to relaunch that annual celebration as the first-ever EFF Awards!
The EFF Awards is a new ceremony dedicated to the growing digital rights communities whose technical, social, economic, an...
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Demand Your Right to Repair in New York State
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/demand-your-right-repair-new-york-state-0
November 8, 2022, 6:43 PM
New York's legislature passed a landmark right-to-repair bill this year. Now it's up to Governor Hochul to make it law.
Back in June, we asked New Yorkers to contact your Assemblymembers about the Digital Fair Repair Act, a landmark repair bill in New York. The bill passed the state legislature, but today it sits on Governor Hochul’s desk waiting to be signed. New Yorkers: we need you to speak up today to expand your digital rights. Tell Governor Hochul to support A7006-B (Fahy), which would m...
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EFF Award Winner: Alaa Abd El-Fattah
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/eff-award-winner-alaa-abd-el-fattah
November 7, 2022, 6:55 PM
For over thirty years, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has awarded those paving the way for freedom and innovation in the digital world. Countless luminaries working in digital privacy and free speech gathered for this Pioneer Award Ceremony in San Francisco over the decades. This year, we are excited to relaunch that annual celebration as the first-ever EFF Awards!
The EFF Awards is a new ceremony dedicated to the growing digital rights communities whose technical, social, economic, an...
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