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calikid
10-15-2014, 03:17 PM
An organization dedicated to freedom on the internet.

Something I believe we all share an interest in.

I will be linking their newsletter here.


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calikid
10-15-2014, 03:19 PM
EFF Issue 669 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=785#minilinks)
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Even a Golden Key Can Be Stolen by Thieves

Law enforcement has been ablaze with indignation since Apple first announced three weeks ago that it was expanding the scope of what types of data would be encrypted on devices running iOS 8. When Google followed suit and announced that Android L would also come with encryption on by default, it only added fuel to the fire. But these decisions, first and foremost, are about protecting the security of users. These companies have made a sound engineering decision to make mobile security as strong as they know how, by bringing it in line with laptop and desktop security.


In Hotfile Docs, Warner Hid References to "Robots" And Its Deliberate Abuse of Takedowns

After months of delay, Warner has finally released documents detailing its notice-and-takedown practices. The information was filed under seal in the now-defunct Hotfile litigation until a federal court, prompted by a motion from EFF, ordered Warner to produce them for the public. These documents confirm the movie studio's abuse of the DMCA takedown process. They describe Warner "robots" sending thousands of infringement accusations to sites like the now-closed Hotfile without human review, based primarily on filenames and metadata rather than inspection of the files' contents. They also show that Warner knew its automated searches were too broad and that its system was taking down content in which Warner had no rights--likely a violation of the DMCA.


ComputerCOP: The Dubious 'Internet Safety Software' That Hundreds of Police Agencies Have Distributed to Families

For years, local law enforcement agencies around the country have told parents that installing ComputerCOP software is the "first step" in protecting their children online. But as official as it looks, ComputerCOP is actually just spyware, generally bought in bulk from a New York company that appears to do nothing but market this software to local government agencies. In the course of investigating and documenting the spread of that software through some 245 agencies in 35 states, EFF has conducted a security review of ComputerCOP and determined it is neither safe nor secure.
EFF Updates


They Fight Surveillance - And You Can Too

EFF has launched two projects to help you fight "privacy nihilism"--to show that despite the skepticism of your friends and colleagues, you can do something. In Counter-Surveillance Success Stories, we've collected examples of individuals and small groups who have chosen to battle unlawful spying in their own countries--and have won. And on our new I Fight Surveillance site, we're showcasing individuals from around the world who are taking a stand.

For Shame: Gannett Abuses DMCA to Take Down Political Speech

Like clockwork, another news organization is abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's hair-trigger take down process to stifle political commentary just when that commentary is most timely. A Kentucky newspaper's editorial board live-streamed an interview with a Democratic candidate for Senate, and captured 40 uncomfortable seconds of her trying desperately to avoid admitting she voted for President Obama. A critic posted the video clip online--and the newspaper's parent company Gannett promptly took it down.

Stop the Spies: Australians Rise Up Against Mandatory Data Retention

The latest shadow over the civil liberties of Australians is a yet-unnamed mandatory data retention bill that will be introduced into the federal parliament during the week of October 27. Under the flimsy pretext that this measure is urgently needed to fight terrorism, the bill would require Australian Internet providers to scoop up highly personal information about their customers as they use the Internet and store it for two years for law enforcement agencies to access. On October 6, a grassroots website called Stop the Spies was launched to expose this threat and to mobilize ordinary Internet users to stop it.

Adobe Spyware Reveals (Again) the Price of DRM: Your Privacy and Security

The publishing world may finally be facing its "rootkit scandal." Two independent reports claim that Adobe's e-book software, "Digital Editions," logs every document readers add to their local "library," tracks what happens with those files, and then sends those logs back to the mother-ship, over the Internet, in the clear. In other words, Adobe is not only tracking your reading habits, it’s making it really, really easy for others to do so as well.

EFF Intervenes in Canadian Court Case to Protect Free Speech Online

EFF has filed a brief with the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Canada weighing in on a ruling that Google must block certain entire websites from its search results around the world. Such a broad injunction sets a dangerous precedent, especially where the injunction is likely to conflict with the laws of other nations. In its brief, EFF explains how the trial court's decision would have likely violated the U.S. Constitution and constituted an improper "mandatory injunction" under case law in California, where Google is based. By blocking entire websites, Canadian courts potentially censor innocent content that U.S. Internet users have a constitutional right to receive

DEFCON Router Hacking Contest Reveals 15 Major Vulnerabilities

A DEFCON contest to find vulnerabilities in consumer router software this summer was hugely successful: participants discovered 15 "zero-day" vulnerabilities, including seven that allow full takeover. Those bugs have all been disclosed to the manufacturers, but fixes have been slow to roll out.

Listen (http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/view.php?pk_id=0000013407): Audio from [UNDER SEAL] v. Holder, EFF's National Security Letter case

EFF squared off last week against the Department of Justice in the Ninth Circuit on behalf of gagged recipients of national security letters. The court has published an audio recording of that hearing.

NSA Mind-Bender: We Won't Tell You What Info We Already Leaked to the Media

In Wired, Kim Zetter reports that the National Security Agency has refused to release information in response to a FOIA request about the agency's authorized leaks to the media.

NSA's Director of Civil Liberties and Privacy's new report on Executive Order 12333 [pdf]
(https://www.nsa.gov/civil_liberties/_files/nsa_clpo_report_targeted_EO12333.pdf)
Rebecca J. Richards, the director of NSA's Civil Liberties and Privacy Office, has issued an overview of the civil liberties protections built into the agency's signals intelligence programs.

====================

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks do not necessarily represent the views of EFF.

This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

calikid
11-04-2014, 02:23 AM
EFF Issue #670 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=807)

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Introducing the New Surveillance Self-Defense (https://ssd.eff.org/)

We're thrilled to announce the relaunch of Surveillance Self-Defense, our guide to defending yourself and your friends from digital surveillance by using encryption tools and developing appropriate privacy and security practices. These resources are intended to inspire better-informed conversations and decision-making about digital security and privacy. The site is available today in English, Arabic, and Spanish, with more languages coming soon.

EFF and ACLU to Present Oral Argument in NSA Spying (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/klayman-v-obama-eff-explains-why-metadata-matters-and-third-party-doctrine-doesnt) Case

How can the US government possibly claim that its collection of the phone records of millions of innocent Americans is legal? It relies mainly on two arguments: first, that no one can have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their metadata and second, that the outcome is controlled by the so-called "third party doctrine," which says that no one has an expectation of privacy in information they convey to a third party, such as telephone numbers dialed. EFF will respond to both of these arguments in oral argument in the NSA spying case Klayman v. Obama on November 4.

EFF Fights for Common Sense, Again, in DMCA Rulemaking

EFF has filed six exemption requests with the U.S. Copyright Office today, part of the elaborate, every-three-year process to right the wrongs put in place by the Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We're seeking to renew and expand previously granted exemptions on jailbreaking devices and ripping video for remixes, and pursuing new exemptions on repairing, modifying, and conducting security research on cars, as well as modifying video games to be playable after they've been abandoned by their publisher.

EFF Updates

Verizon Injecting Perma-Cookies to Track Mobile Customers, Bypassing Privacy Controls

Verizon users might want to start looking for another provider. In an effort to better serve advertisers, Verizon Wireless has been silently modifying its users' web traffic on its network to inject a cookie-like tracker. This tracker, included in an HTTP header called X-UIDH, is sent to every unencrypted website a Verizon customer visits from a mobile device. It allows third-party advertisers and websites to assemble a deep, permanent profile of visitors' web browsing habits without their consent.

Peekaboo, I See You: Government Authority Intended for Terrorism is Used for Other Purposes

The Patriot Act continues to wreak its havoc on civil liberties. Law enforcement was adamant Section 213, defining a procedure known as a "sneak and peek" warrant, was needed to protect against terrorism. But the latest government report detailing the numbers of "sneak and peek" warrants reveals that out of a total of over 11,000 requests, only 51 were used for terrorism.

The 90s and Now: FBI and its Inability to Cope with Encryption

Recently, FBI Director James B. Comey, along with several government officials, have issued many public statements regarding their inability to catch criminals due to Apple and Google offering default encryption to their consumers. But we certainly felt a bit of deja vu when we saw current FBI Director Comey’s statements, since they sound eerily like the sentiments expressed by then FBI Director Louis J. Freeh in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July 1997.

Dear Rupert Murdoch: Want to Compete with Netflix? Ditch DRM!

Rupert Murdoch, chair of 21st Century Fox, argued recently that major media companies should develop their own video streaming service that could compete with Netflix and Amazon. Given that other streaming services are having a tough time competing (Verizon's foray into video streaming, Redbox Instant, is shutting down), his worries are well-founded. Fortunately, there's one move media companies could could make that would set apart any new video streaming service they develop: they could ditch the DRM.

October’s Very Bad, No Good, Totally Stupid Patent of the Month: Filming A Yoga Class

EFF recently learned about a patent that covered a method of filming a yoga class. We reviewed the patent and discovered that it was just as ridiculous as it sounded. Despite our familiarity with absurd patents and our concerns about cursory review at the Patent and Trademark Office, we were still surprised that this one issued. But there's a silver lining to this story: the yoga community affected by this stupid patent wasn't willing to give in.

New Documentary CITIZENFOUR Highlights Snowden's Motivation for Leaking NSA Documents

Laura Poitras' riveting new documentary about mass surveillance gives an intimate look into the motivations that guided Edward Snowden, who sacrificed his career and risked his freedom to expose mass surveillance by the NSA. CITIZENFOUR has many scenes that explore the depths of government surveillance gone awry and the high-tension unfolding of Snowden's rendezvous with journalists in Hong Kong. But one of the most powerful scenes in the film comes when Snowden discusses his motivation for the disclosures and points to his fundamental belief in the power and promise of the Internet.

Open Access Week 2014 Wrap Up: Posts, Pictures, and Parties

EFF proudly participated in the eighth annual Open Access Week, a celebration of making scholarly research immediately and freely available for people around the world to read, cite, and re-use. One theme that seemed to run across all blog posts was that open access doesn't exist in a vacuum: there are laws, policies, and happenings in the world that immensely affect our access to research.
miniLinks

UK "Free Our History" Copyright Reform Campaign

Museums, libraries, and archives are showing empty display cases to protest copyright terms that lock up until 2039 unpublished works dating back centuries.

Australia: Stop The Spies

The Australian government has proposed a data retention law that could be devastating to personal privacy. Learn more about the proposal, how it could be abused, and what people can do to fight back.

Hacker Lexicon: Homomorphic Encryption (http://www.wired.com/2014/11/hacker-lexicon-homomorphic-encryption/)

In Wired, Andy Greenberg explains what homomorphic encryption is, and how it could revolutionize the way cloud computing services are able to protect user privacy.
Supported by Members

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.

Please consider becoming an EFF member today.

calikid
01-09-2015, 06:27 PM
EFF Issue #672 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=851)
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Looking Forward, Looking Back: 2014 in Review

It has been a momentous year in the fight for digital civil liberties. From major developments in our work to end illegal mass surveillance by the NSA, to critical moments that could define the future of net neutrality, to rumblings of new legal structures around copyright and patent law, and much more: 2014 was busy, and 2015 promises to be even busier.

With such a big year behind us, it's important to take a look back at all that EFF and our members have accomplished--in the courtroom, through activism campaigns, and with cutting-edge security technology. Join us in reviewing the milestones from the past year below, and in looking forward to the critical moments ahead.


•Net Neutrality Takes a Wild Ride
•8 Stellar Surveillance Scoops
•Web Encryption Gets Stronger and More Widespread
•Big Patent Reform Wins in Court, Defeat (For Now) in Congress
•International Copyright Law
•More Time in the Spotlight for NSLs
•The State of Free Expression Online
•What We Learned About NSA Spying in 2014--And What We're Fighting to Expose in 2015
•"Fair Use Is Working!"
•Email Encryption Grew Tremendously, but Still Needs Work
•Spies Vs. Spied, Worldwide
•The Fight in Congress to End the NSA's Mass Spying
•Open Access Movement Broadens, Moves Forward
•Stingrays Go Mainstream
•Three Vulnerabilities That Rocked the Online Security World •Mobile Privacy and Security Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
•It Was a Pivotal Year in TPP Activism but the Biggest Fight Is Still to Come
•The Government Spent a Lot of Time in Court Defending NSA Spying Last Year
•Let's Encrypt (the Entire Web)



EFF Updates

In Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack, Let's Not Sacrifice Even More Rights (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/wake-charlie-hebdo-attack-lets-not-sacrifice-even-more-rights)

EFF is stunned and deeply saddened by the attack on Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper. As free speech advocates, we mourn the use of violence against individuals who used creativity and free expression to engage in cultural and political criticism. Murder is the ultimate form of censorship.

State Courts Strike Blows to Criminal DNA Collection Laws in 2014--What to Look for in 2015 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/state-courts-strike-blows-criminal-dna-collection-laws-2014-what-look-2015)

After years of bad DNA law, 2014 laid the groundwork for better, more privacy-protecting procedures. In the wake of Maryland v. King--the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case upholding warrantless, suspicionless DNA collection from arrestees under Maryland state law--the constitutionality of DNA collection in the criminal context has continued to present challenging issues for courts.

Ford Tries to Shut Down Independent Repair Tool with Copyright (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/01/ford-tries-shut-down-third-party-repair-tool-copyright)

The Ford Motor Company has recently sued a manufacturer of third-party diagnostics for creating a tool that includes a list of Ford car parts and their specifications. Ford claims that it owns a copyright on this list of parts, the "FFData file," and thus can keep competitors from including it in their diagnostic tools. It also claims that the company violated the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by writing a program to defeat the "encryption technology and obfuscation" that Ford used to make the file difficult to read.

It's Not Too Late for Uber to Avoid Stupid Patent of the Month (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/12/spirit-holidays-its-not-too-late-uber-avoid-stupid-patent-month)

As our devoted readers are aware, each month we highlight a Stupid Patent. This time, in the holiday spirit, we decided to highlight a Stupid Patent application. You see, we recently learned that Uber has filed for a patent on something so basic, so fundamental to our economic system, that it should be called out now before it becomes too late for both Uber and the public.

Supported by Members

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.

Please consider becoming an EFF member today. (https://supporters.eff.org/donate)


Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

calikid
03-25-2015, 04:04 PM
Space holder Issue #673

calikid
03-25-2015, 04:10 PM
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Issue #674 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=930)
Let the Sun Shine on Government Records

"There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency." - Edward Snowden

It's Sunshine Week—an annual celebration of government transparency and access to public records. Government transparency is one of our core values, and EFF has been fighting in the courts for greater access to records about mass surveillance, drone flights in the United States, misconduct by intelligence agencies, government efforts to expand electronic surveillance, and much more.

To celebrate Sunshine Week this year, we're introducing The Foilies, our "awards" for the most outrageous responses to Freedom of Information Act requests. We solicited suggestions from our members and friends, and found some remarkable and absurd government excuses for keeping the public in the dark:

EFF Updates

EFF Outlines Plan to Fix the Broken Patent System

EFF released a new whitepaper outlining the problems with the U.S. patent system and how Congress and the White House can mitigate the impact of vague patents and patent trolls. The "Defend Innovation" whitepaper is the culmination of two-and-a-half years worth of research, drawing from the stories, expertise, and ideas of more than 16,500 people who agree that the current patent system is broken. Read our report.

Are Your Devices Hardwired for Betrayal?

Kaspersky Lab recently released a report demonstrating for the first time that firmware-based attacks have been used in the wild by malware authors. This should serve as a wake-up call to security professionals and the hardware industry in general: firmware-based attacks are real and their numbers will only increase. If we don't address this issue now, we risk facing disastrous consequences.

Blurred Lines Copyright Verdict is Bad News for Music

A federal jury in Los Angeles found that the 2013 song "Blurred Lines" was an infringement of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" composition from 1977. Following the 7-million-dollar verdict, professional musicians are waking up to a fact that ordinary Internet users have long known: our overbearing copyright laws are a threat to creativity

Will the U.S. Senate Allow Big Media to Hold Blind People for Ransom?

Congress should ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, which would help create global limitations to copyright that would improve accessibility for people who are blind or have other reading disabilities. But in an act of craven cynicism, the copyright lobby is trying to tie its passage to another agreement—the Beijing Treaty—which could fatten Hollywood profit margins by creating a new thicket of restrictions on audiovisual works.

Net Neutrality Order is a Win, with a Few Blemishes

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of net neutrality rules. As promised, the rules start by putting net neutrality on the right legal footing, which means they have a much stronger chance of surviving the inevitable legal challenge. There's much to appreciate, including bright line rules against blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of Internet traffic. Nonetheless, we remain concerned about certain elements—including the "general conduct" rule.

A Blimp to Protest TPP

Senator Ron Wyden has been getting an unexpected guest showing up outside his recent town hall meetings: a friendly blimp, flown by our friends at Fight for the Future. The blimp is flying high to urge the senator to continue his record of defending Internet rights by opposing attempts to fast track the Trans Pacific Partnership.

CITIZENFOUR Wins Oscar for Best Documentary

CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras' riveting documentary following Edward Snowden's journey as he blew the whistle on mass surveillance by the NSA, won an Oscar for best documentary. The film is available on iTunes, HBO, and in some theaters.

ACLU and Wikimedia Sue Over NSA Internet Surveillance

A new ACLU lawsuit challenges dragnet NSA spying on behalf of Wikimedia and a broad coalition of educational, human rights, legal, and media organizations whose work depends on the privacy of their communications.

calikid
05-18-2015, 05:30 PM
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Issue #678 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=982)

Senate Attempts Last-Ditch Effort to Reauthorize Patriot Act Spying (https://act.eff.org/action/not-one-more-day-of-nsa-mass-spying-on-our-phone-records)

Senator Mitch McConnell is attempting to extend the NSA's mass phone records surveillance program. A few days ago, he introduced a bill to extend Section 215 of the Patriot Act for 60 days. McConnell's temporary reauthorization is designed to deflect public attention on this issue and give NSA apologists more time to water down reform efforts.

With your help, we can stop him. If you're in the United States, please pick up the phone and call your Senators. If you're outside the United States, please share this urgent alert on Facebook and Twitter.

Right now, we're in a powerful position to push for strong reforms to mass spying. On June 1, Section 215 is set to expire. Perhaps more importantly, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently ruled the whole program illegal. Let's send a strong message to Congress: not one more day of phone record surveillance. Let's rein in NSA mass spying under the Patriot Act, then use that energy to fuel our larger agenda of ending global mass surveillance once and for all.

Fast Track Looms for Trans-Pacific Partnership

For a few hours last week, it looked like the tide had turned against the massive and sprawling Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, as a group of Senate Democrats refused to let the Fast Track deal proceed to the floor for debate. We've targeted Fast Track because it's considered essential for TPP: without a deal to limit Congress to an up-or-down vote on the entire secretive agreement only after it's been finalized, the text and its anti-user, anti-consumer clauses would face scrutiny that they simply could not withstand.

On Thursday, though, the Senate reached a compromise and will allow Fast Track to proceed to the debate and vote stage. TPP and its ilk remain a looming threat as we turn our attention to the Senate floor, and to the House of Representatives, in order to stop our elected lawmakers from greasing the skids for an agreement the public cannot read but knows spells trouble.

If you are in the United States, it's more important than ever that you speak up now and tell your lawmakers to oppose Fast Track.

EFF Updates

New EFF '404' Report Shows How Draconian Copyright Policies Stifle Online Speech Worldwide

Overly broad intellectual property laws in Russia, Colombia, and Pakistan—which U.S. trade regulators say aren’t tough enough—stifle access to innovation and threaten artists, students, and creators around the globe with prison, censorship, and state prosecution. EFF's newest report documents these and other problems with intellectual property laws worldwide, offering a first-of-its-kind analysis countering the U.S. Trade Representative's annual report.

EFF and Gamers to Copyright Office: Multiplayer Matters (Of Course)

The Entertainment Software Association responded to EFF's submission in the ongoing rulemaking on Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by saying it doesn't think online multiplayer play really matters. In a comment to the Copyright Office, the ESA has claimed that "it is inaccurate to suggest that multiplayer gameplay over the Internet is a ‘core’ functionality of [a] video game." We couldn't disagree more.

California Wants to Create a Task Force to Review Computer Crime Policies--Guess Who's Not Invited to the Table

Whenever lawmakers congregate to discuss computer crime, you can reliably predict that the debate will gravitate toward expanding police powers, leaving the realistic concerns of everyday Internet users by the wayside. The make-up of California's proposed High Technology Crimes Task Force, which would be assigned to reevaluate the laws governing prosecution of identity theft, credit card fraud, and unspecified "Internet crimes," suggests more of the same.

What Every Librarian Needs to Know About HTTPS

For librarians, simply protecting people's book check-out records is no longer enough. Library patrons frequently access catalogs and other services over the Internet. We have learned in the last two years that the NSA is unconstitutionally hoovering up and retaining massive amounts of Internet traffic. That means that before a patron even checks out a book, their search for that book in an online catalog may already have been recorded. And the NSA is not the only threat. Other patrons, using off-the-shelf tools, can intercept queries and login data merely by virtue of being on the same network as their target. Fortunately, HTTPS is a solution, and it's getting easier to deploy every day.

EFF Asks Patent Office to Focus On Protecting Public from Bad Patents

EFF has joined Public Knowledge and Engine in submitting written comments to the Patent Office regarding its Patent Quality Initiative. We urge the Patent Office to ensure that this program actually reduces the number of invalid patents being issued. Its quality efforts should serve the public interest, not the special interests of patent applicants.
miniLinks

Organization of American States on NSA's Metadata Programs

The top human rights watchdog for the Americas, the Organization of American States, has issued a strong call for reform of the NSA mass surveillance metadata programs to bring them into line with international human rights law.

John Deere: You "Own" Your Tractor, But We Can Still Rip You Off

Our request for copyright law exemptions to cover car security research and repair has kicked off a major debate about what manufacturers think "ownership" really is. Here, Cory Doctorow takes on John Deere's latest entry: a letter to dealers about what they're actually selling.

Canadian Prime Minister Letter Confirms Industry Lobbying Tied to Copyright Extension

Michael Geist has obtained a revealing letter from Candian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Music Canada, an industry lobbying group.

More of this newsletter here. (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=982)

calikid
11-03-2015, 06:20 PM
This Article (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/10/success-sacramento-four-new-laws-one-veto-all-victories-privacy-and-transparency) courtesy of Electronic Frontier Foundation
Finally some good news for (California) citizens concerned for rights to privacy.

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Success in Sacramento: Four New Laws, One Veto—All Victories for Privacy and Transparency
By Dave Maass
October 2015

There’s an adage that goes: “As goes California, so goes the nation.” In all fairness, that’s said about a lot of states, but we believe it is especially true for California, since not only is the Golden State bigger in population and GDP than most sovereign nations, but because so many technological companies are headquartered here. A new law in California can have nation-wide, and potentially global, ramifications.

This year, EFF beefed up its in advocacy in Sacramento with the aim of moving the needle forward on digital freedom in the California legislature. We assembled a team of internal activists and lawyers and hired an excellent lobbying duo—Samantha Corbin and Danielle Kando-Kaiser of Corbin and Kaiser. Now that we’re at the end of the legislative session, we can say with zero uncertainty that our mission was a success.

Last week, the governor signed three bills reining in heretofore unchecked electronic surveillance and another bill requiring new transparency measures on the local level. He also vetoed a bill that would’ve started embedding tracking chips in driver licenses.

Here’s a round-up of our legislative victories:
S.B. 178 (Leno) – The California Electronic Communications Privacy Act

California now has what Wired has called the “nation’s best digital privacy law.”

The California Electronic Communications Privacy (CalECPA) ensures that when state law enforcement wants to search or obtain your digital records, such as email, or track your location through your device, they need to get a warrant first. Not only does the bill protect data on devices and in the cloud, it also means that California police will need to get a warrant before they can use an IMSI catcher (i.e. a “Stingray” or “Dirtbox”) to emulate a cell phone tower. Evidence obtained illegally under this law is inadmissible in court.

EFF, the ACLU, and the California Newspaper Publisher Association were original sponsors of the bill, which was championed by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine). We were joined by a long list of tech companies—such as Google, LinkedIn, Apple, and Twitter—as well as law professors, child advocates, community justice organizations, and a slew of newspaper editorial boards. The state’s major law enforcement associations withdrew their opposition to the bill, issuing positive statements about the balance between public safety and privacy, while the San Diego Police Officers Association endorsed it without reservation. Thousands of Californians sent emails to the governor demanding his signature on the bill, and tens of thousands more signed petitions, which the ACLU and EFF delivered to the governor’s office in the form of dot matrix print-outs.

Wired is right: California now leads the nation in digital privacy, which we hope will carry over to federal reforms.
S.B. 34 (Hill) Automated license plate recognition systems

S.B. 34 introduces a whole slew of accountability measures for public agencies and private companies that operate automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems.

ALPR systems are networks of cameras that collect license plates of any car that passes. EFF has long been concerned about these mass surveillance systems because this information, in aggregate, can reveal sensitive information about drivers, including where they worship, what doctors they see, and where they sleep at night.

Here are some of the key provisions of the new law, which adds ALPR to the list of the types of information covered by the state’s data breach laws:

ALPR operators are required to “maintain reasonable security procedures and practices, including operational, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, to protect ALPR information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.”
ALPR operators will need to create usage and privacy policy that is “consistent with respect for individuals’ privacy and civil liberties.” This policy must be available to the public in writing—including online, if the operator has a website.
The policies at a minimum must describe the purpose of the system, the retention policies for the data, and, how data will be shared or sold. The policy must also explain who can access the system and the training requirements for accessing the system. The policies must further include how data will be protected and how the data will be ensured and errors will be corrected.
You can sue an ALPR operator if a data breach or unauthorized access harms you.

Public agencies that use ALPR have further restrictions. For one, agencies must provide an opportunity for public comment before implement an ALPR program. They also can’t sell or share ALPR data, except with other public agencies.
S.B. 741 (Hill) Mobile communications privacy

S.B. 741 applies similar principles as S.B. 34, but to “cellular communications interception technology,” such as IMSI catchers (a.k.a. "Stingrays" and "Dirtboxes"), including public disclosures about the use of this surveillance equipment. The new law says:

A public agency that uses a cell site simulator must maintain adequate security measures to protect collected data from “unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.”
A public agency must adopt a usage and privacy policy that is “consistent with respect for an individual’s privacy and civil liberties.”
Local agencies must disclose the existence of agreements with other agencies regarding the IMSI catchers and help limit the use of non-disclosure agreements to hide how law enforcement uses this equipment.
Local agencies, with the exception of sheriff departments, will not be able to obtain this equipment without approval of the legislative body and a public process. Sheriffs will need to at the very least provide public notice online of the acquisition of these devices.
An individual harmed by violations of this law can sue the agency.

Read our letter to Gov. Brown about this bill.
S.B. 249 (Hueso) Enhanced Driver Licenses

Under S.B. 249, the Department of Motor Vehicles would have begun issuing “Enhanced Driver Licenses” (EDLs), identity cards with an embedded RFID chip. The bill’s authors believed this would relieve congestion at the Mexican border, because it would allow the checkpoints to begin verifying your identity while you’re still queuing up in your vehicle. The RFID chip make it possible for your identification number to be read up to 30 feet away.

EFF opposed this bill because RFID is an insecure technology that could reveal your identity and location to anyone with an RFID reader. As a meager security measure, the law would have required the DMV to hand out little protective envelopes, although research has shown these envelopes to be ineffective. At one point, the bill ensured that these EDLs were optional. However, at the last minute, legislators stripped out measures that would have protected civil liberties and privacy. The version that arrived on the governor’s desk would have allowed an employer to discriminate against employees who did not apply for EDLs.

Hundreds of members of the public sent emails to the legislature and governor opposing S.B. 249. Ultimately, Brown vetoed the bill with the message that EDLs are unnecessary, since there are already other options out there to ease border-crossing wait times.
S.B. 272 (Hertzberg) – Disclosure of Enterprise Systems

Transparency measures had a hard time this legislative session. EFF supported S.B. 573, which would have created the state-level position of Chief Data Officer, who would have been charged with creating an open data hub and open data roadmap. Unfortunately, the bill died in committee.

However, another bill we supported, S.B. 272, made it to the governor’s desk and was signed. The new law would require local agencies to create catalogs of “enterprise systems” that store information and post this information to their websites. For each data system, the agencies must disclose the purpose of the system, what kind of data is stored in it, how often it is stored and updated, and the vendors offering the product. By doing so, we believe local agencies will allow for greater accountability and transparency regarding the types of information collected on members of the public.

calikid
02-04-2016, 03:46 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 691st


House Holds Closed Hearing on Section 702 Surveillance, Rejecting Calls for Transparency (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/25-civil-liberties-organizations-call-open-hearings-section-702-surveillance)

Our elected representatives are once again cutting out the public from an important debate over mass surveillance. The House Judiciary Committee held a "members only" meeting today to discuss Section 702 of the FISA Amendment Acts, the law on which the NSA relies to operate its notorious PRISM surveillance program and to tap into the backbone of the Internet. Last week, EFF joined two dozen civil liberties, human rights, and transparency organizations, demanding in writing that leaders of the House Judiciary Committee open the hearing, at least in part, to the public. Instead, the committee heard today only from a panel of intelligence officials drawn from the NSA, FBI, DOJ, and ODNI who released a 12-page unclassified statement.

EFF Updates

Data Privacy Day: Take Charge of Your Family’s Privacy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/data-privacy-day-take-charge-your-familys-privacy)

Data Privacy Day, dedicated to promoting and raising awareness of privacy and data protection around the globe, was Thursday, January 28. Commemorating the 35th anniversary of the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection, it offered a great excuse to take charge of not only your own privacy, but also the privacy of any school children in your life.

Hacking the Patent System: Improved, Expanded Guide to Patent Licensing Alternatives (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/hacking-patent-system-improved-expanded-guide-patent-licensing-alternatives)

We're pleased to announce the 2016 edition of Hacking the Patent System, a guide to alternative patent licensing produced by the Juelsgaard Intellectual Property & Innovation Clinic at Stanford Law School in partnership with EFF and Engine. First published in 2014, the guide provides an overview of several tools that inventors and innovators could use to avert unnecessary and costly patent litigation while we continue to push for reforms to make the patent system into the engine of innovation that it should be.

"No Cost" License Plate Readers Are Turning Texas Police into Mobile Debt Collectors and Data Miners (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/no-cost-license-plate-readers-are-turning-texas-police-mobile-debt-collectors-and)

Vigilant Solutions, one of the country's largest brokers of vehicle surveillance technology, is offering a hell of a deal to law enforcement agencies in Texas: a whole suite of automated license plate reader (ALPR) equipment and access to the company's databases and analytical tools—and it won't cost the agency a dime. Instead of paying for ALPR gear themselves, Texas police fund it by gouging people who have outstanding court fines and handing Vigilant all of the data they gather on drivers for nearly unlimited commercial use.

The Commerce Department Has Good Recommendations For Fixing Copyright Law—But More is Needed (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/01/commerce-department-has-good-recommendations-fixing-copyright-law-more-needed)

The U.S. Commerce Department released its long-awaited White Paper on fixes to copyright law last week and it's a mixed bag. It includes some good recommendations on how Congress should change the law, but punts on some crucial enduring problems. While the department's recommendations include welcome ideas on how to protect artists and innovators in digital media from unnecessary risks, they don’t go far enough.


miniLinks

White House denies clearance to tech researcher with links to Snowden (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/white-house-tech-researcher-denied-security-clearance-edward-snowden-nsa)

The White House denied a security clearance to a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and recent FTC staffer who previously helped report on the Snowden revelations. While the reasons have not been disclosed, Ashkan Soltani's departure raises important questions about the U.S. government’s ability to partner with the broader tech community.

Some presidential candidates want the encryption debate resolved behind closed doors (https://www.yahoo.com/politics/john-kasich-would-prefer-to-solve-the-encryption-034928651.html)

Some 2016 presidential candidates are really not in the mood to speak publicly about technology that affects virtually every American's privacy. Candidates in both parties, aware that there is no clear-cut encryption solution in which they will emerge as terrorist-fighting heroes, would prefer to keep their plans on this vital issue secret.

Ban internet anonymity – says US Homeland Security official (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/27/homeland_security_says_ban_internet_anonymity/)

Internet anonymity should be banned and everyone required to carry the equivalent of a license plate when driving around online. That's according to Erik Barnett, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's attache to the European Union. Writing in French policy magazine FIC Observatoire, Barnett somewhat predictably relies on the existence of child abuse images to explain why everyone in the world should be easily monitored.

__________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Supported by Donors

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.

If you aren't already, please consider becoming an EFF member today.

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calikid
07-22-2016, 04:56 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 702

DMCA 1201: The Law That Locks Down Tech (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/research-and-remixes-law-wont-allow)

Some day, your life may depend on the work of a security researcher. Whether it’s a simple malfunction in a piece of computerized medical equipment or a malicious compromise of your networked car, it’s critically important that people working in security can find and fix the problem before the worst happens.

And yet, Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) casts a dark legal cloud over the work of those researchers. It gives companies a blunt instrument with which to threaten that research, keeping potentially embarrassing or costly errors from seeing the light of day. EFF believes that 1201 is unconstitutional, and today, we’re taking our case to court.

Copyright law shouldn’t cast a legal shadow over activities as basic as popping the hood of your own car, offering commentary on a shared piece of culture, or testing security infrastructure. It’s time for the courts to revisit Section 1201 and fix Congress’ constitutional mistake.
EFF Updates

Security Experts: Tell the W3C To Protect Researchers Who Investigate Browsers (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/03/security-researchers-tell-w3c-protect-researchers-who-investigate-browsers)

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has taken the extraordinary, controversial step of standardizing digital rights management (DRM) technology in the official HTML5 specifications. Because of laws protecting DRM, that means that security researchers who reveal flaws in HTML5-compliant browsers could face serious legal repercussions. We’re calling on security researchers to help us urge the W3C to protect their important work.

Ninth Circuit Panel Backs Away From Dangerous Password Sharing Decision—But Creates Even More Confusion About the CFAA
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/ninth-circuit-panel-backs-away-dangerous-password-sharing-decision-creates-even)
Three judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have taken a step back from criminalizing password sharing, limiting the dangerous rationale of a recent decision issued by the same court. That’s good news, but the new decision creates even more confusion about how to interpret the notoriously vague Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

New EEOC Rules Allow Employers to Pay for Employees’ Health Information (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/new-eeoc-rules-allow-employers-pay-employees-health-information)

The Affordable Care Act provisions for employee wellness programs give employers the power to reward or penalize their employees based on whether they complete health screenings and participate in fitness programs. Wellness programs put employees in a bind: give your employer access to extensive, private health data, or give up potentially thousands of dollars a year.

California Grounds Two Bad Drone Bills (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/california-grounds-two-bad-drone-bills)

Two bills were introduced in the California legislature this session to regulate the use of drones. Both were overly restrictive of private drone use, even potentially criminalizing fun and educational drone sports events. Now, we’re happy to announce that both of these drone bills have been grounded.

EFF Joins Stars to Rock Against the TPP and Finally Defeat It (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/eff-joins-stars-rock-against-tpp-and-finally-defeat-it)

EFF is proud to support Rock Against the TPP, a series of music festivals and rallies around the country to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Fight for the Future is organizing the rallies featuring Tom Morello, Talib Kweli, and many other big names. Together, we can send the message to Congress to refuse to ratify the TPP.

Tell Your Senators: Don’t Give FBI More Power to Spy on Browser History (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/senate-still-considering-giving-fbi-more-power-spy-browser-history)

Despite strong opposition in Congress and from the grassroots, the FBI is still pushing to expand its National Security Letter (NSL) authority. The proposed amendments would allow the FBI to serve companies with NSLs and obtain a wide range of Internet records including browsing history. Take a moment to tell your Senators to vote against expanding NSL powers.

Patents: The Next Open Access Fight (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/patents-next-open-access-fight)

Signs are looking good that Congress will finally pass a bill requiring that publicly funded research be made available to the public. Even if we pass an open access law this year, though, there’s still a major obstacle in the way of publicly funded research fully benefiting the public: patent trolls.

New Court Ruling Underscores the Need to Stop the Changes to Rule 41 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/06/making-sense-troubling-decision-new-court-ruling-underscores-need-stop-changes)

A federal court recently held that individuals have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a personal computer located inside their home. In this court’s view, the FBI is free to hack into networked devices without a warrant. This stunning decision makes it clear that we need to stop the changes to Rule 41, amendments that will make it easier for the government to get a warrant to remotely search computers.

With Canada’s Entry, Treaty for the Blind Will Come Into Force
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/06/canadas-entry-treaty-blind-will-come-force)
A groundbreaking international agreement to address the “book famine” for blind and print-disabled people is now set to go into force after passing a key milestone. The agreement requires countries to allow the reproduction and distribution of accessible ebooks by limiting the scope of copyright restrictions.

Stupid Patent of the Month: Storage Cabinets on a Computer (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/06/stupid-patent-month-storage-cabinets-computer)

This month’s stupid patent claims the idea of using “virtual cabinets” to graphically represent data storage and organization. The patent’s owner has been using it to sue just about anyone who runs a website.

miniLinks

Bulgaria Passes Law Requiring Government Software to Be Open Source (ZDNet)
(http://www.zdnet.com/article/bulgaria-passes-law-requiring-government-software-to-be-open-source/)
Bulgaria’s new open source law is a win for transparency and security.

The Fight for the Right to Repair (Smithsonian) (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/fight-right-repair-180959764/?no-ist)

Laws that keep technology locked down make everyone less safe.

Startups Should Be Watching as the Supreme Court Decides Samsung v. Apple (Recode) (http://www.recode.net/2016/7/1/12052026/apple-versus-samsung-supreme-court-trolling-total-costs)

A dispute over design patents could have major ramifications for the future of innovation.
Supported by Donors

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.

If you aren't already, please consider becoming an EFF member today.

Donate Today
Administrivia

Editor: Elliot Harmon, Activist
editor@eff.org

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
eff.org

Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries: info@eff.org

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.

CasperParks
07-23-2016, 05:48 AM
Calikid,

Thanks for the updates.

Truly mind-boggling, privacy is a thing of the past.

calikid
07-26-2016, 12:41 PM
Calikid,

Thanks for the updates.

Truly mind-boggling, privacy is a thing of the past.
Yes. EFF does a good job.
Nice to see an industry icon, Steve Wozniak, involved in social issues.

calikid
08-27-2016, 08:35 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 703

Malware Linked to Government of Kazakhstan Targets Journalists, Political Activists, Lawyers (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/malware-linked-government-kazakhstan-targets-journalists-political-activists-lawyers)
EFF has discovered that critics have Kazakhstan’s government have been systematically targeted by a phishing and malware campaign. Based on the evidence available, we believe that the government itself is behind the attack.


Stand Up for Open Access. Stand Up for Diego. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/stand-open-access)
Colombian graduate student Diego Gomez shared another student’s Master’s thesis with colleagues over the Internet. That simple act—something that many people all over the world do every day—put Diego at risk of spending years in prison. Closing arguments in Diego’s trial are scheduled for this week.

When laws punish intellectual curiosity, everyone suffers; not just researchers, but also the people who would benefit from their research. Please join us in standing with Diego; together, we can fight for a time when everyone can access and share the world’s research.

EFF Updates

DRM: You Have the Right to Know What You’re Buying (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/drm-you-have-right-know-what-youre-buying)
EFF and a coalition of organizations and individuals are asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to require retailers to warn you when the products you buy come locked down by DRM (digital rights management). We think that customers have the right to know when they’re buying something with technical restrictions built in.

Copyright Office Jumps Into Set-Top Box Debate, Says Hollywood Should Control Your TV (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/copyright-office-jumps-set-top-box-debate-says-hollywood-should-control-your-tv)
The FCC has proposed a rule change that would allow pay TV customers choose devices and apps from anywhere rather than being forced to use the box and associated software provided by the cable company. Major entertainment companies are trying to derail the effort with misleading arguments about copyright law.

Victory! Oregon Supreme Court Agrees that Violating a Company Rule is Not a Computer Crime (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/victory-oregon-supreme-court-agrees-violating-company-rule-not-computer-crime)
Violating a company rule is not—and should not be—a computer crime. Some prosecutors are trying to use statutes targeting computer break-ins in order to enforce employer policies, but the Oregon Supreme Court is not buying it.

What to Do About Lawless Government Hacking and the Weakening of Digital Security
When governments hack computers for law enforcement purposes, it can directly impact everyone’s digital security. It’s time for a public discussion on whether, when, and how governments can be empowered to break into our computers, phones, and other devices.

Protecting the Fourth Amendment in the Information Age: A Response to Robert Litt (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/protecting-fourth-amendment-information-age-response-robert-litt)
There’s a debate taking place over how the Fourth Amendment should be interpreted in the Internet age. Some commentators insist that Constitutional privacy protections don’t apply to most mass surveillance. Such arguments ignore the reasons why we have a Fourth Amendment in the first place.

First Aereo, Now FilmOn: Another Fight for Innovation and Competition in TV Technology
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/first-aereo-now-filmon-another-fight-innovation-and-competition-tv-technology)
Once again, big media companies are trying to use copyright law to stop new startups. This time, FilmOn is fighting in multiple lawsuits around the U.S. for the right to capture local TV broadcasts and stream them to paying subscribers.

Stupid Patent of the Month: Solocron Education Trolls With Password Patent (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/stupid-patent-month-solocron-education-trolls-password-patent)
A company called Solocron is filing lawsuits left and right over its “verification system” for educational content. What kind of verification system does Solocron claim to have invented? Passwords.

Bipartisan Caucus Launches in the House to Defend Fourth Amendment
On matters implicating privacy, Congress has too often failed to fulfill its responsibilities. By neglecting to examine basic facts and deferring to executive agencies whose secrets preclude meaningful debate, lawmakers have allowed proposals that undermine constitutional rights to repeatedly become enshrined in law. With the recent launch of a new bipartisan Fourth Amendment Caucus in the House, the Constitution has gained a formidable ally.

View as webpage (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=1699)
Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
Aug 10, 2016

calikid
09-04-2016, 05:12 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 704

With Windows 10, Microsoft Blatantly Disregards User Choice and Privacy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/windows-10-microsoft-blatantly-disregards-user-choice-and-privacy-deep-dive)
Microsoft had an ambitious goal with the launch of Windows 10: a billion devices running the software by the end of 2018. In its quest to reach that goal, the company aggressively pushed Windows 10 on its users and even offered free upgrades for a whole year. There’s nothing wrong with encouraging users to upgrade their software, but the user should always be in control.

In its eagerness to move every Windows user to Windows 10, Microsoft has ignored two of the keystones of modern computing: user choice and privacy. The company has used tactics that have essentially amounted to tricking users into making the upgrade. That’s particularly troubling when Windows 10 sends an unprecedented amount of user data to Microsoft servers.

EFF Updates

Civil Rights Coalition files FCC Complaint Against Baltimore Police Department (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/civil-liberties-groups-file-fcc-complaint-arguing-baltimore-police-are-illegally)
The Center for Media Justice, ColorOfChange.org, and New America’s Open Technology Institute recently filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging the Baltimore police are violating the federal Communications Act with their use of cell site simulators, also known as Stingrays. This technology disrupts cellphone calls and interferes with the cellular network—and does it in a way that has a disproportionate impact on communities of color. If you want to see the FCC take action, tell the commissioners now (https://act.eff.org/action/tell-fcc-to-enforce-its-rules-against-police-using-stingrays).

Tell Your University: Don’t Sell Patents to Trolls (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/tell-your-university-dont-sell-patents-trolls)
When universities invent, those inventions should benefit everyone. Unfortunately, they sometimes end up in the hands of patent trolls—companies that serve no purpose but to amass patents and demand money from innovators. If you think that universities shouldn’t do business with trolls, then join us in calling on your college or university to stand up for real innovation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Wants to Know Who You Are on Twitter—But It’s a Flawed Plan (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/us-customs-and-border-protection-wants-know-who-you-are-twitter-its-flawed-plan)
U.S. border control agents want to gather Facebook and Twitter identities from visitors from around the world. But this flawed plan would violate travelers’ privacy, and would have a wide-ranging impact on freedom of expression—all while doing little or nothing to protect Americans from terrorism.

The Global Ambitions of Pakistan’s New Cyber-Crime Act (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/global-ambitions-pakistans-new-cyber-crime-act)
Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) last week passed into law despite near unanimous condemnation from tech experts and serious concerns from civil liberties groups. The PECB isn’t only a tragedy for free expression and privacy within Pakistan; it also has dangerous ramifications for Pakistan nationals abroad and frightening implications for international criminal law in general.

California Lawmaker Pulls Digital Currency Bill After EFF Opposition (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/california-lawmaker-pulls-digital-currency-bill-after-eff-opposition)
For the second year in a row, EFF and a coalition of virtual currency and consumer protection organizations have beaten back a California bill that would have created untenable burdens for the emerging cryptocurrency community.

White House Source Code Policy Should Go Further (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/white-house-source-code-policy-should-go-further)
A new federal government policy will result in the government releasing more of the software that it creates under free and open source software licenses. That’s great news, but the policy doesn’t go far enough in its goals or in enabling public oversight.

Word Games: What the NSA Means by “Targeted” Surveillance Under Section 702 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/nsa-word-games-mass-v-targeted-surveillance-under-section-702)
We all know that the NSA uses word games to hide and downplay its activities. Words like “collect,” “conversations,” “communications,” and even “surveillance” have suffered tortured definitions that create confusion rather than clarity. There’s another one to watch: “targeted” surveillance.

The FCC Can’t Save Community Broadband—But We Can (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/community-broadband-and-fcc-net-neutrality-still-begins-home)
While most of us were focused on the FCC’s Open Internet Order to protect net neutrality last year, the FCC quietly did one more thing: it voted to override certain state regulations that inhibit the development and expansion of community broadband projects. A federal appeals court recently rejected the FCC’s effort, but the fight for community broadband is far from over.

We Shouldn’t Wait Another Fifteen Years for a Conversation About Government Hacking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/we-shouldnt-wait-another-fifteen-years-conversation-about-government-hacking)
With high-profile hacks in the headlines and government officials trying to reopen a long-settled debate about encryption, information security has become a mainstream issue. But we feel that one element of digital security hasn't received enough critical attention: the role of government in acquiring and exploiting vulnerabilities and hacking for law enforcement and intelligence purposes.



Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
View this issue (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=1724) as a webpage

calikid
09-14-2016, 05:19 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 705

How to Change Your WhatsApp Settings Before Facebook Data Sharing Begins (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/how-keep-your-whatsapp-data-whatsapp)
WhatsApp is establishing data-sharing practices that signal a significant shift in its attitude toward privacy—though you wouldn’t know it from the privacy policy update that popped up on users’ screens recently. The new policy lays the groundwork for alarming data sharing between WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook.

Existing WhatsApp users have until September 25 to click through this update and agree or not agree to Facebook using their WhatsApp data to suggest friends and serve ads. Unfortunately, WhatsApp’s user interface does not offer clear information about what the new privacy policy will change and buries mechanisms for opting out. We urge WhatsApp to make available settings and options more obvious to users. Until then, see this post (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/how-keep-your-whatsapp-data-whatsapp) for a step-by-step guide to change your account settings, and read more about what these changes mean for user privacy.


EFF Updates

EFF Presents the 25th Annual Pioneer Awards (https://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/2016)
On September 21 in San Francisco, we will be celebrating the work of the 2016 Pioneer Award winners: Malkia Cyril, Max Schrems, the authors of “Keys Under Doormats,” and California State Senators Mark Leno and Joel Anderson. The celebration will include drinks, bytes, and excellent company. Join us!

The Shadow Brokers Publish NSA Spy Tools, Demonstrating Possible Flaws in the NSA’s Approach to Security Vulnerabilities (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/shadow-brokers-publish-powerful-nsa-spy-tools-demonstrating-flaws-nsas-approach)
A group calling itself the Shadow Brokers recently released powerful surveillance tools publicly on the Web and promises to publish more dangerous tools for the price of one million bitcoin. Lots of people want to speculate on how this leak could have happened and on whether there are more powerful hacking tools that will go public soon. But that’s missing the bigger question: is it time to create a real process that could, in some circumstances, force the NSA to disclose security flaws to American companies, so vulnerable systems can get patched?

Latest Leak Confirms European Copyright Plans Offer Little for Users (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/unambitious-european-copyright-plans-offer-little-users)
The draft text of a European Commission Directive on copyright has leaked, and we’ve reviewed some of the proposed changes. The most concerning elements are new responsibilities on Internet platforms and new copyright-like rights for publishers. Even aspects that sound good on the surface come with some annoying limitations.

Stupid Patent of the Month: Elsevier Patents Online Peer Review (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/stupid-patent-month-elsevier-patents-online-peer-review)
On August 30, 2016, the Patent Office issued U.S. Patent No. 9,430,468, titled: “Online peer review and method.” The owner of this patent is none other than Elsevier, the giant academic publisher. When it first applied for the patent, Elsevier sought very broad claims that could have covered a wide range of online peer review. Fortunately, by the time the patent actually issued, its claims had been narrowed significantly. We think the patent is stupid, invalid, and an indictment of the system.

Do Over, Please: EFF and ACLU Ask Ninth Circuit to Revisit Two Dangerous CFAA Rulings (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/do-over-please-eff-and-aclu-ask-ninth-circuit-revisit-two-dangerous-cfaa-rulings)
Imagine being convicted of a crime for logging into a friend’s social media account with their permission. Or for logging into your spouse’s bank account to pay a bill, even though a pop-up banner appeared stating that only account holders were permitted to access the system. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last month issued two decisions—by two different three-judge panels in two separate cases—which seem to turn such actions into federal crimes.

Transparency Hunters Capture More than 400 California Database Catalogs (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/transparency-advocates-collect-more-400-database-catalogs)
A team of over 40 transparency activists aimed their browsers at California this past weekend, collecting more than 400 database catalogs from local government agencies, as required under a new state law. Together, participants in the California Database Hunt shined light on thousands upon thousands of government record systems.

European Copyright Leak Exposes Plans to Force the Internet to Subsidize Publishers (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/european-copyright-leak-exposes-plans-force-internet-subsidize-publishers)
A just-leaked draft impact assessment on the modernization of European copyright rules could spell the end for many online services in Europe as we know them. The document’s recommendations foreshadow a new European Union Directive on copyright to be introduced later this year, that will ultimately bind each of the 28 member states. If these recommendations by the European Commission are put in place, Europe’s Internet will never be the same, and these impacts are likely to reverberate around the world.

Justice Department Pressed to Intervene When Police Arrest Grassroots Journalists (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/justice-department-pressed-intervene-when-police-arrest-grassroots-journalists)
Across the country, civilian journalists have documented government violence using cell phones to record police activities, forcing a much-needed national discourse. But in case after case, the people who face penalties in the wake of police violence are the courageous and quick-witted residents who use technology to enable transparency.

miniLinks

Inside the Secret Court That Rules the World (BuzzFeed News) (https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrishamby/super-court?utm_term=.dl7XWG8#.eqGOz75)
BuzzFeed News has kicked off an investigative series on the “secret justice system” in agreements like the TPP.

Secret Cameras Record Baltimore's Every Move from Above (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) (https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-baltimore-secret-surveillance/)
Baltimore police are using real-time aerial surveillance without public disclosure.

Warrant for Former DA Paul Zellerbach in Wiretap Case (http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2016/08/23/warrant-former-da-paul-zellerbach-wiretap-case/89227616/) (The Desert Sun)
California judge issues contempt warrant for the Riverside District Attorney behind a fifth of all U.S. wiretaps.


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calikid
10-05-2016, 08:38 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 706 - pg 1 of 2.

The FBI’s Unprecedented and Illegal Hacking Operation (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/playpen-story-fbis-unprecedented-and-illegal-hacking-operation)
It started with a tip to the FBI from a foreign law enforcement agency that a Tor Hidden Service site called “Playpen” was hosting child pornography. That tip would ultimately lead to the largest known hacking operation in U.S. law enforcement history. The Playpen investigation—driven by the FBI's hacking campaign—resulted in hundreds of criminal prosecutions that are currently working their way through the federal courts.

The issues in these cases are technical and the alleged crimes are distasteful. But make no mistake: these cases are laying the foundation for the future expansion of law enforcement hacking in domestic criminal investigations, and the precedent these cases create is likely to impact the digital privacy rights of Internet users for years to come.

Spying on Students: Tell Us About Your Experiences with K-12 Student Privacy (https://www.eff.org/issues/student-privacy)
School districts around the country are making use of cloud–based educational platforms and assigning laptops and tablets to students. Almost one third of all students—elementary through high school—already use school–issued digital devices, and many of these devices present a serious risk to student privacy. They collect far more information on kids than is necessary, store this information indefinitely, and sometimes even upload it to the cloud automatically. In short, they’re spying on students—and school districts, which often provide inadequate privacy policies (or no privacy policy at all), are helping them.

As the 2016-2017 school year begins, we want to hear from you about your experiences with student privacy and school-issued devices in your community. Take EFF's student privacy survey and help us paint a nation-wide picture of risks to student privacy.

EFF Updates

Facebook's Nudity Ban Affects All Kinds of Users (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/facebooks-nudity-ban-affects-all-kinds-users)
Facebook’s recent censorship of the iconic AP photograph of nine year-old Kim Phúc fleeing naked from a napalm bombing has once again brought the issue of commercial content moderation to the fore. Although Facebook has since apologized, the social media giant continues to defend the policy that allowed the takedown to happen in the first place.

If You Build A Censorship Machine, They Will Come (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/if-you-build-censorship-machine-they-will-come)
If you have the power to censor other people’s speech, special interests will try to co-opt that power for their own purposes. That’s a lesson the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is learning this year. MPAA, which represents six major movie studios, also runs the private entity that assigns movie ratings in the U.S. While it’s a voluntary system with no formal connection to government, MPAA's “Classification and Ratings Administration” wields remarkable power.

4 Things to Consider When Running Social Media Campaigns About Texas Inmates (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/4-things-consider-when-running-social-media-campaigns-about-texas-inmates)
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) sent shockwaves through the prisoner rights community in April when it announced a new policy forbidding inmates from participating in social media. The wording of the new TDCJ rule was vague and chillingly broad, and the community was unsure how it would be applied.

CBP Fails to Meaningfully Address Risks of Gathering Social Media Handles (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/cbp-fails-meaningfully-address-risks-gathering-social-media-handles)
We submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency opposing its proposal to gather social media handles from foreign visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries. CBP recently provided its preliminary responses to several of our arguments. The proposal to collect social media handles has serious flaws—and the government has failed to adequately address them.

Civil Liberties Groups Call for Stronger Oversight by House Intelligence Committee (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/civil-liberties-groups-call-stronger-house-intelligence)
Edward Snowden’s release of once-secret documents about U.S. intelligence surveillance focused much-needed attention on the problem of how to control the burgeoning U.S. surveillance-industrial complex. But while the USA Freedom Act began to limit national security surveillance to some extent, it did little to address the underlying problem of excessive executive branch secrecy.
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/us-intelligence-chief-serious-about-fixing-overclassification-time-will-tell)
Copyright Shouldn't Hold Technology Back (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/copyright-shouldnt-hold-technology-back)
The FCC is about to make a decision about whether third-party companies can market their own alternatives to the set-top boxes provided by cable companies. The fight over set-top boxes isn’t just about stimulating competition to bring higher quality products to market—it’s about your basic rights as a consumer.

Tell Justin Trudeau to Fight for Web Developer Saeed Malekpour (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/tell-justin-trudeau-free-saeed-malekpour)
Saeed Malekpour—a Canadian resident, Iranian citizen, and programmer—was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard during a visit to his family in 2008 based on unsubstantiated accusations of connections to illegal websites. Saeed’s freedom depends on the global attention his case receives. That’s why we're asking you to write to Trudeau now, and tell the Canadian government that the world has not forgotten Saeed.

European Copyright Ruling Ushers in New Dark Era for Hyperlinks (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/european-copyright-ruling-ushers-new-dark-era-hyperlinks)
In a case which threatens to cause turmoil for thousands if not millions of websites, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided today that a website that merely links to material that infringes copyright, can itself be found guilty of copyright infringement, provided only that the operator knew or could reasonably have known that the material was infringing.

Analog: The Last Defense Against DRM (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/analog-last-defense-against-drm)
With the recent iPhone 7 announcement, Apple confirmed what had already been widely speculated: that the new smartphone won’t have a traditional, analog headphone jack. By switching from an analog signal to a digital one, Apple has potentially given itself more control than ever over what people can do with music or other audio content on an iPhone.

Content Companies Demand Total Control of Set-Top Boxes at FCC (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/content-companies-demand-total-control-set-top-boxes-fcc)
Major TV producers have finally said what they really want from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in exchange for breaking up the cable companies’ monopoly over set-top boxes. As they continue to push fake copyright arguments that experts in copyright law have roundly refuted, the big TV companies have now made clear that they do not want consumers to have the ability to search the Internet for videos and they do not want device makers to have the freedom to create devices with all of the features consumers want.

miniLinks
Unprecedented and Unlawful: The NSA’s “Upstream” Surveillance (https://www.justsecurity.org/33044/unprecedented-unlawful-nsas-upstream-surveillance/)
ACLU staff attorneys explain why the NSA’s upstream collection is mass surveillance.

'Edward Snowden did this country a great service. Let him come home.' (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/14/edward-snowden-pardon-bernie-sanders-daniel-ellsberg)
EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn, Bernie Sanders, Daniel Ellsberg, and former members of the NSA weigh in on whether Obama should pardon Edward Snowden.

Correcting the Record on Section 702: A Prerequisite for Meaningful Surveillance Reform (https://www.justsecurity.org/32916/correcting-record-section-702-prerequisite-meaningful-surveillance-reform/)
The NSA’s 702 surveillance is broader than it seems and needs reform. Jennifer Granick explains.



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calikid
10-08-2016, 05:05 PM
The "Five EFF Tools" listed below look like some useful utilities, check them out!
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 706 - page 2 of 2.

EFF to HP: Don't Hide DRM in a Security Update (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/dont-hide-drm-security-update)
HP released a deceptive security update that reconfigured thousands of printers to accept only HP’s ink cartridges rather than third-party or recycled ones. Over 10,000 of you joined EFF in calling on HP to make amends for its self-destructing printers—and we got HP’s attention. HP responded on its blog, recognizing the mistake and saying it will issue an optional firmware update to roll back the changes it had made.

We’re very glad to see HP making this step. But a number of questions remain. We want to see HP promise to never again use a security update to take away features, and to commit to not attacking security researchers who disclose vulnerabilities in its printers. HP must also be more transparent about how many printers were affected by this update, and tell us how they will communicate the optional patch to all customers. Join us in demanding that HP say "no" to DRM (https://act.eff.org/action/tell-hp-say-no-to-drm).


Five EFF Tools to Help You Protect Yourself Online (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/five-eff-tools-help-you-protect-yourself-online)
Do you get creeped out when an ad eerily related to your recent Internet activity seems to follow you around the web? Do you ever wonder why you sometimes see a green lock with “https” in your address bar, and other times just plain “http”? EFF’s team of technologists and computer scientists can help with tools like Privacy Badger, Panopticlick, HTTPS Everywhere, Certbot, and Surveillance Self-Defense.

EFF Updates

Google’s Allo Sends The Wrong Message About Encryption (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/googles-allo-sends-wrong-message-about-encryption)
When Google announced its new Allo messaging app, we were initially pleased to see the company responding to long-standing consumer demand for user-friendly, secure messaging. Unfortunately, it now seems that Google's response may cause more harm than good. While Allo does expose more users to end-to-end encrypted messaging, this potential benefit is outweighed by the cost of Allo’s mixed signals about what secure messaging is and how it works.

Oversight Transition Isn't Giving Away the Internet, But Won't Fix ICANN's Problems (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/oversight-transition-isnt-giving-away-internet-wont-fix-icanns-problems)
Oversight over the performance of ICANN's IANA functions has passed from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to ICANN's global multi-stakeholder community. Despite several weeks of heated discussion within the United States, we haven’t commented much on this transition. That’s because there has not been much to say: little has changed with the transition, and that includes the continuing threats to free expression and privacy that sometimes emerge within the domain name system.

Fair Processes, Better Outcomes (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/fair-processes-better-outcomes)
What can we do when threats to digital rights aren’t the result of a law or an individual company’s practices, but the result of a private industry agreement? Unlike laws, such agreements aren’t developed with public input or accountability. We call these invisible arrangements Shadow Regulation. EFF is proposing a set of criteria focused on inclusion, balance, and accountability to set a positive agenda for how such such agreements could be done better.

Stupid Design Patent of the Month: Rectangles on a Screen (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/stupid-design-patent-month-rectangles-screen)
This month’s stupid patent shows just how broken the current system of design patents is. U.S. Patent D767,583 is a patent on a design for a “display screen portion with graphical user interface.” The only thing claimed in this design patent are three rectangles at the top of a display screen and a square beneath them. This patent is both remarkably trivial and remarkably easy to be accused of infringing.

Victory! Gov. Brown Signs Bill to Overhaul California's Broken Gang Databases (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/gov-brown-signs-bill-overhaul-californias-broken-gang-databases)
Over the last few weeks, a broad coalition of civil liberties and social justice organizations rained down letters, tweets, and op-eds on Gov. Jerry Brown, urging him to sign A.B. 2298, a bill to begin the process of overhauling the state's CalGang gang affiliation database. Last week, it all paid off.

Why the Warrant to Hack in the Playpen Case Was an Unconstitutional General Warrant (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/why-warrant-hack-playpen-case-was-unconstitutional-general-warrant)
Should the government be able to get a warrant to search a potentially unlimited number of computers belonging to unknown people located anywhere in the world? That’s the question posed by the Playpen case, involving the FBI’s use of malware against over 1000 visitors to a site hosting child pornography. The prosecutions resulting from this mass hacking operation are unprecedented in many ways, but the scope of the single warrant that purportedly authorized the FBI’s actions represents perhaps the biggest departure from traditional criminal procedure.

Facial Recognition, Differential Privacy, and Trade-Offs in Apple's Latest OS Releases
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/facial-recognition-differential-privacy-and-trade-offs-apples-latest-os-releases)
With new machine learning features in its latest phone and desktop operating system releases, Apple is exploring ways to provide cloud-based services and collect related user data with more regard for privacy. Two of these features—on-device facial recognition and differential privacy—deserve a closer look from a privacy perspective. While we applaud these steps, it’s hard to know how effective they are without more information from Apple about their implementation and methods.

Record Labels Make New Grab For Website-Blocking Power in YouTube-MP3 Suit (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/record-labels-new-grab-website-blocking-power)
Major record labels are once again asking a court to give them power over the Internet’s basic infrastructure. This is the very power that Congress has refused to give them, and the very power they have proven unable and unwilling to use responsibly. This time, their alleged target is the website Youtube-MP3.org, a site that extracts the audio tracks from YouTube videos and allows users to download them.

NSA’s Failure to Report Shadow Broker Vulnerabilities Underscores Need for Oversight
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/nsas-failure-report-shadow-broker-vulnerabilities-underscores-need-oversight)An entity calling itself the “Shadow Brokers” took the security world by surprise this summer by publishing what appears to be a portion of the NSA’s hacking toolset. Government investigators now believe that the Shadow Brokers stole the cache of powerful NSA network exploitation tools when they were accidentally left on a computer located outside of the NSA’s network.

A Digital Rumor Should Never Lead to a Police Raid (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/digital-equivalent-rumor-should-never-lead-police-raid)

If police raided a home based only on an anonymous phone call claiming residents broke the law, it would be clearly unconstitutional. Yet EFF has found that police and courts are regularly conducting and approving raids based on the similar type of unreliable digital evidence: Internet Protocol address information.

BaycloudSystems Joins EFF's Do Not Track Coalition (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/baycloud-joins-our-dnt-coalition)
Baycloud Systems is the latest company to join the EFF's Do Not Track coalition, which opposes the tracking of users without their consent. Baycloud designs systems to help companies and users monitor and manage tracking cookies. Based in the UK, it provides thousands of sites across Europe with tools for compliance with European Union data protection laws.


miniLinks

Police surveillance: The US city that beat Big Brother (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37411250)
Grassroots activists in Oakland, CA took action against proposed police surveillance. The BBC reports.

How an Old Hacking Law Hampers the Fight Against Online Discrimination (http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/how-an-old-hacking-law-hampers-the-fight-against-online-discrimination)
The New Yorker on how the outdated Computer Fraud & Abuse Act impedes online discrimination research.

Librarians Stand Again Against FBI Overreach (http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/how-an-old-hacking-law-hampers-the-fight-against-online-discrimination)
“The Connecticut Four,” a group of librarians who challenged National Security Letters in 2005, explain why the Senate should not expand those powers now.



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calikid
10-21-2016, 05:41 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 708

Unblinking Eyes: The State of Communications Surveillance in Latin America (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/unblinking-eyes-latinamerica-surveillance)
We’re proud to announce the release of “Unblinking Eyes: The State of Communications Surveillance in Latin America,” a project in collaboration with partner organizations across the region to document and analyze surveillance laws and practices in twelve countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Our reports, in both English and Spanish, show the need for comprehensive legal reform across Latin America to protect users from unlawful government surveillance. While every Latin American constitution we investigated recognizes a right to privacy and data protection, most countries do not implement those rights in a way that fully complies with international human rights standards. Overall, secrecy surrounding tactics and prevalence of surveillance is widespread in Latin America, and many countries have yet to develop a culture of transparency reporting by communications providers.

In addition to individual country reports from our international partners, EFF has produced a broader comparative report comparing laws and practices across countries, a legal analysis of the 13 Necessary and Proportionate Principles, and an interactive map summarizing our findings.

EFF Updates

Where WhatsApp Went Wrong: EFF's Four Biggest Security Concerns (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/where-whatsapp-went-wrong-effs-four-biggest-security-concerns)
After careful consideration, we have decided to add additional warnings and caveats about using WhatsApp to our Surveillance Self Defense guide. It is getting harder and harder to explain WhatsApp’s security pitfalls in a way that is clear, understandable, and actionable for users. This is especially true since WhatsApp’s announcement that it would be changing its user agreement regarding data sharing with the rest of Facebook’s services.

Patent Forum Shopping Must End (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/patent-forum-shopping-must-end)
Forum shopping is rampant in patent litigation. Last year, almost 45 percent of all patent cases were heard in the Eastern District of Texas, a sparsely populated region. EFF, along with Public Knowledge, has filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to hear a case that could end forum shopping in patent cases.

EFF Goes to Washington to Fight Against the Changes to Rule 41 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/eff-goes-washington-fight-against-changes-rule-41)
If Congress does nothing, a new policy will take effect in less than two months that will make it easier than ever for the FBI to infiltrate, monitor, and damage computers remotely. With the threat of “Rule 41” changes looming, EFF went to DC to speak to policymakers about the future of computer security and the ramifications of government hacking.

Upload Filtering Mandate Would Shred European Copyright Safe Harbor (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/upload-filtering-mandate-would-shred-european-copyright-safe-harbor)
European regulators have finally released the full and final proposal on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, and unfortunately it's full of ideas that will hurt users and the platforms on which they rely, in Europe and around the world.

Tell the Copyright Office: Copyright Law Shouldn't Punish Research and Repair (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/tell-copyright-office-copyright-law-shouldnt-punish-research-and-repair)
After 18 years, we may finally see real reform to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s unconstitutional pro-DRM provisions. As locked-down copyrighted software shows up in more devices, people are realizing how important it is to be able to break those locks. If you can’t tinker with or repair it, then you don’t really own it—someone else does, and their interests will take precedence over yours.

Is Let’s Encrypt the Largest Certificate Authority on the Web? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/lets-encrypt-largest-certificate-authority-web)
Let’s Encrypt has issued its 12 millionth certificate, of which six million are active and unexpired. With these milestones, Let’s Encrypt now appears to us to be the the Internet’s largest certificate authority—but a recent analysis by W3Techs said we were only the third largest. So in this post we investigate: how big is Let’s Encrypt, really?

USA FREEDOM Act Requires Government to Declassify Any Order to Yahoo (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/usa-freedom-act-requires-government-declassify-any-order-yahoo)
In the wake of reports that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ordered Yahoo to scan all of its users’ email in 2015, there are many unanswered legal and technical questions. But before we can even begin to answer them, there is a more fundamental question: what does the court order say?

FCC Helped Create the Stingray Problem, Now it Needs to Fix It (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/fcc-created-stingray-problem-now-it-needs-fix-it)
The Baltimore Police Department is illegally using “Stingray” technology, which spies on cell phones by simulating a cellular tower. EFF recently supported a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to address Stingrays’ impact on speech, interference with 911 calls, and invasion of privacy.

Google Changes Its Tune When it Comes to Tracking Students (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/google-changes-its-tune-when-it-comes-tracking-students)
Since we submitted our FTC complaint about Google’s student privacy practices a little under a year ago, Google has made some encouraging changes. However, the core of our FTC complaint—that Google collects data on students using certain services despite promising not to do so—remains.


No One Owns Invisible Disabilities (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/no-one-owns-invisible-disabilities)
The purpose of registered trademarks is to protect people. But when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues overly broad or generic trademarks, those trademarks do just the opposite: they can expose us to the risk of legal bullying.

miniLinks

Facebook-backed school software shows promise — and raises privacy concerns (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/facebook-backed-school-software-shows-promise--and-raises-privacy-concerns/2016/10/11/2580f9fe-80c6-11e6-b002-307601806392_story.html)
A new school software tool backed by Facebook raises student privacy concerns. The Washington Post reports.

Universities have turned over hundreds of patents to patent trolls (https://medium.com/@yardenkatz/universities-have-turned-over-hundreds-of-patents-to-patent-trolls-99d5cdec1d8a#.nvr35311b)
Which universities have sold the most patents to notorious mega-troll Intellectual Ventures? Yarden Katz digs into this question on Medium.



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calikid
11-11-2016, 05:03 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 709

Open Access on the Frontlines for Transparency and Innovation (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/open-access-week-2016)
In most issues of EFFector, we give an overview of all the work we’re doing at EFF. Today, in light of the recent international celebration of Open Access Week, we’re doing a deep dive into a single issue: open access and how it drives public innovation and transparency.

The Internet should be a place where we can share ideas and educate ourselves unimpeded by unfair paywalls or backwards licensing—and the academic publishing world is at the frontlines of the battle to make it that way.

Academic research is a driving force behind technological innovations, medical breakthroughs, and policy decisions. The open access movement has been working for decades to make that research more open and accessible to the public. “Open access” (https://www.eff.org/issues/open-access) refers to the practice of making research and other scholarly materials freely and immediately available online. Ideally, this happens under licenses that allow full reuse, sharing, and adaptation.

At first glance, this may not seem like a radical idea. Researchers tend to want to share their work; most research is federally funded and thus paid for by taxpayers; and public access to research pushes innovation forward. On top of all that, the Internet makes sharing and collaborating easier than ever, for professional researchers and amateur problem-solvers alike.

But academic publishing today is stuck in a traditional system that was built on paper, not on the web. In a paper world, we needed publishers as an intermediary between researchers and readers. In a digital world, however, giant publishers have taken on the role of gatekeepers and legal bullies.

This leaves us with a system in which publishers charge libraries and users exorbitant fees for access to subscription journals and paywalled databases. The average price for a one-year institutional subscription to a scholarly journal is in the thousands, with some specialty publications charging as much as $40,000.

Without a wealthy library or university footing the bill, ordinary users may have to pay upwards of $30 a pop to access research articles—a difficult proposition for a patient researching their medical care options, a high school student doing homework, a non-profit employee analyzing public policy, or an unemployed person getting up-to-date on their field while looking for a job.

The open access response to this restrictive status quo boils down to two primary goals: making research accessible, and making research reusable.

Free to Access
Universities and the federal government hold many of the keys when it comes to unlocking access to research. As these creators and funders of research change their policies, publishers will feel the pressure to migrate to open access business models.

Even Harvard University—the richest in America—cannot afford all the journal subscriptions its faculty and students need. To save funds and further its mission of creating and disseminating knowledge, Harvard established the country’s first university open access policy in 2008. Since then, the University of California system, MIT, the University of Oregon, Duke, and countless others have followed suit, often thanks to student activism.

The federal government funds a huge slice of the research world, both inside and outside of universities. In 2013, FASTR—the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act—was introduced, proposing that every federal agency that spends more than $100 million on research grants be required to adopt an open access policy. After all, when taxpayer dollars fund research from the likes of NASA and the NSF, the public should have access to that research. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/white-house-open-access-memo-strong-could-be-stronger)

Free to Reuse
Open access depends on more than removing cost barriers. It also means giving the public freedom to use research. Under the current academic publishing model, even the simple act of sharing can be a crime.

When Diego Gomez, a Master’s student in Colombia, shared a colleague’s thesis with other scientists over the Internet, he was doing what any grad student would do: sharing research he found useful so others could benefit from it. But the author of the paper filed a lawsuit, and Diego’s act of sharing became a copyright violation punishable by four to eight years in prison.

In the U.S., activist Aaron Swartz also met unjust charges on 13 criminal counts for downloading millions of articles from academic journal database JSTOR. The charges would have put him in jail for years under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

If other users see Diego’s or Aaron’s cases and fear the consequences that can come with copyright infringement allegations, everyday activities like sharing academic resources can become intimidating. These cases remind us that sharing and building on existing research is integral to the open access vision. That could mean anything from translation to remixing to large-scale analysis. In an open access world, these innovative, collaborative (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/10/when-you-work-open-everyone-can-be-collaborator) actions would not be criminal.

Standing Up For Open Access
You can join EFF in speaking out for open access principles of transparency and innovation on national and international levels.

For a bill whose name sounds like “faster,” FASTR has been remarkably slow to move through Congress. EFF is rallying members of Congress to support FASTR now and ensure public access to public funded research.

Our activism to move FASTR is only the tip of the iceberg. Research exists within a web of laws that restrict the public’s access to and use of knowledge. EFF is working toward reform in areas including overbearing copyright law, patent practices, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Internationally, we have been standing with Diego Gomez for two and a half years since his trial started—and we continue to stand with him and demand global open access (https://act.eff.org/action/let-s-stand-together-to-promote-open-access-worldwide) today.

Fulfilling our shared human right to information with open access could be transformative. Only when research is available to everyone—not just those with large budgets or institutional connections—can we fully promote innovation and creativity.

miniLinks
A Tale of Two Dystopias: Order and Chaos on the Electronic Frontier (https://medium.com/@KevinBankston/a-tale-of-two-dystopias-order-and-chaos-on-the-electronic-frontier-3072de828e9b#.2inzn711s)
Open Technology Institute Director Kevin Bankston on science fiction, tech policy, and EFF.

Justice Department Releases Guidelines on Controversial Anti-Hacking Law (https://theintercept.com/2016/10/26/justice-department-releases-guidelines-on-controversial-anti-hacking-law/)
In its newly released Computer Fraud & Abuse Act guidelines, the DOJ admits that laws have not kept up with technology. The Intercept reports.

AT&T Is Spying on Americans for Profit, New Documents Reveal (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/25/at-t-is-spying-on-americans-for-profit.html)
The Daily Beast reveals AT&T documents about the secretive Hemisphere call records program.

[HR]

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calikid
12-10-2016, 04:56 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 710


Support the SMDH Act and Give Congress Time to Debate New Government Hacking Powers (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/support-smdh-act-and-give-congress-time-debate-new-government-hacking-powers)

The clock is ticking. If Congress doesn’t act now, the government will soon be able to use a search warrant to hack an untold number of computers located around the world.

Lawmakers are rightfully pushing to postpone these new hacking powers, arguing that Congress has not had sufficient time to debate these new powers and their privacy and security implications. We’ve supported previous delay efforts, and now we’re asking Congress to pass the Stalling Mass Damaging Hacking Act (the SMDH Act), which gives Congress until April 1 to consider these new hacking powers.

Despite lawmakers’ questions—and some less than helpful answers from the Justice Department—we still don’t know enough about how the government plans to use these new hacking powers, whether there are any privacy or security protections in place, and how government hacking can open up Internet users’ devices and networks to attacks from non-government hackers.

Congress needs more time to consider these questions and get more information in hearings before the new hacking powers go into effect. Call your senator today and tell them to support the Stalling Mass Damaging Hacking Act to give Congress that time.

EFF Updates


Protecting Tomorrow (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/protecting-tomorrow)

Many supporters have contacted us with concerns about the election results. At this critical moment, we want digital civil liberties supporters worldwide to feel confident that EFF remains steadfast in its mission and method: to use law and technology to champion civil liberties and provide a potent check against overreach.

Tech Companies, Fix These Technical Issues Before It’s Too Late (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/tech-companies-fix-these-technical-issues-its-too-late)

The results of the election have put the tech industry in a risky position. President-elect Trump has promised to deport millions of our friends and neighbors, track people based on their religious beliefs, and undermine users’ digital security and privacy. He’ll need Silicon Valley’s cooperation to do it—and Silicon Valley can fight back.

E-Voting Machines Need Paper Audits to be Trustworthy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/e-voting-machines-need-paper-audits-be-trustworthy)

Election security experts concerned about voting machines are calling for an audit of ballots in the three states where the presidential election was very close: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. We join their call for an audit. This is an important election safety measure and should happen in all elections, not just those that have a razor-thin margin.

Obama Can Still Boost Transparency, Accountability Before Trump Takes Office (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/obama-can-still-boost-transparency-accountability-trump-takes-office)

In a letter to the Obama administration this week, EFF and other civil liberties groups—including Demand Progress and OpenTheGovernment.org—are asking that the president shed some much-needed light on government actions that impact civil liberties ahead of his departure.

Grassroots Digital Rights Alliance Expands Across U.S. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/grassroots-digital-rights-alliance-expands-across-us)

It will take the concerted actions of our supporters to help EFF’s goals find their reflection in law, policy, technology, and culture. That’s why we launched the Electronic Frontier Alliance, a national network of grassroots groups from Atlanta to Austin taking action in their local communities to promote digital rights.

Who Has Your Back in Colombia? A New Report Shows Telecom Privacy Slowly Improving
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/who-has-your-back-colombia-new-report-shows-telecom-privacy-slowly-improving)
While Colombia’s digital world continues to advance with 21st century technologies, the country’s privacy law has not kept pace. Colombian telecommunication companies have not yet stepped up to meet tech industry best practices related to privacy and transparency reporting. Nonetheless, two key members of Colombia’s telecommunications industry—ETB and Telefonica-Movistar—have improved their practices, with ETB leading the way.

Digital Security Tips for Protesters (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/digital-security-tips-for-protesters)

Engaging in peaceful protest may put you at risk of search or arrest, having your movements and associations mapped, or otherwise becoming a target of surveillance and repression. Here we present 10 security tips for protesting in the digital age.

TPP: A Post-Mortem (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/11/tpp-post-mortem)

The death of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been confirmed by White House officials. This marks the end of a long-running campaign against the secretive agreement that EFF began back in 2012.

miniLinks

Want to Know if the Election was Hacked? Look at the Ballots
(https://medium.com/@jhalderm/want-to-know-if-the-election-was-hacked-look-at-the-ballots-c61a6113b0ba#.wthjtgqlh)
Electronic voting machines need to be backed up by audits of their paper trail. Alex Haldermann explains why on Medium.

Trump Presidency Fuels Heated Encryption Debate (https://www.cnet.com/news/trump-presidency-fuels-heated-encryption-debate/)

CNET covers a debate on encryption between EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn and former White House Director of Counterterrorism Daniel Rosenthal at the Versus16 conference in San Francisco.

Parliament Passes Most Extreme Surveillance Law in UK History (https://www.dontspyonus.org.uk/blog/2016/11/17/parliament-passes-most-extreme-surveillance-law-in-uk-history/)

The UK parliament has passed the Investigatory Powers Bill, the most extreme surveillance bill yet. The Don't Spy On Us coalition gives the details.

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calikid
12-21-2016, 03:24 PM
https://www.eff.org/files/2015/10/03/new-email-header-blue.png

Dear Friend of Digital Freedom,

Install Privacy Badger (https://www.eff.org/privacybadger)1538
I am proud to tell you that EFF has just launched Privacy Badger 2.0! Our free browser tool helps hundreds of thousands of Internet users block third-party scripts and cookies that track you across the web. We hope you enjoy our latest round of improvements and join EFF to fight for technology that respects our rights (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/privacy-badger-nd).

Privacy Badger 2.0 (https://www.eff.org/privacybadger) is part of a growing number of EFF technology projects designed to protect your online freedom. EFF created HTTPS Everywhere to help ensure that you can connect to websites securely. We helped develop Let’s Encrypt, the free SSL certificate authority expanding the availability of encryption and taking the web by storm. We maintain Certbot, popular client software that eases the deployment of Let’s Encrypt certificates. EFF works on the side of ordinary users and advanced developers alike because together, we can build a safer, more privacy-friendly web.

You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your privacy to data miners in order to browse the web. Privacy Badger is here to help. Donate to EFF and strengthen these effective, practical solutions to protect privacy and help widen the path to a better digital future.

Fighting for your online rights,

Cooper Quintin
EFF Privacy Badger Developer & Staff Technologist

Sykotronik
12-21-2016, 07:20 PM
Thanks Calikid, just added that to Firefox via the mozilla addon page.


http://www.jonrb.com/emoticons/beer.gif

calikid
01-11-2017, 04:24 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 711


The Fights Behind Us, the Fights to Come: 2016 in Review (https://www.eff.org/2016-year-review-digital-rights)
The digital rights landscape shifted dramatically in 2016. From the very first week, when EFF confirmed that T-Mobile was throttling customers’ video streams, to our year-end call to the tech community to protect users in the face of the incoming Trump administration, 2016 saw no shortage of threats to Internet users’ fundamental rights to privacy, free speech, and the freedom to access information online around the world.

In 2017, we are likely to see new efforts to ratchet up surveillance using increasingly sophisticated tools, attempts to silence dissent and expression, and attacks on the rights of users and innovators. Defending digital civil liberties is as essential as it's ever been, and our movement has never been as strong as it is now.

Check out these articles from our year in review series:

- HTTPS Deployment Growing by Leaps and Bounds (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/https-deployment-growing-leaps-and-bounds-2016-review)

- Protecting Net Neutrality and the Open Internet (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/network-neutrality-2016)

- Defending Student Data from Classrooms to the Cloud (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/effs-work-student-privacy)

- Censorship on Social Media (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/censorship-social-media-2016-review)

- Open Access Rewards Passionate Curiosity (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/open-access-rewards-passionate-curiosity-2016-review)

- Technical developments in Cryptography (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/what-happened-crypto-2016)

- This Year in U.S. Copyright Policy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/year-us-copyright-policy-2016-review)

- The Year in Government Hacking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/year-government-hacking)

- What Happened to Unlocking the Box? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/what-happened-unlocking-box-2016-review)

- Top 5 Threats to Transparency (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/top-5-threats-transparency-2016)

- DRM vs. Civil Liberties (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/drm-vs-civil-liberties-2016)

- The Fight to Rein in NSA Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/fight-rein-nsa-surveillance-2016)

- The Patent Troll Abides (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/2016-review-patent-troll-abides)

- Our Fight to Rein In the CFAA (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/our-fight-rein-cfaa-2016-review)

- Dark Skies for International Copyright (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/international-copyright-2016-review)

- Congress Gives FOIA a Modest but Important Update For Its 50th Birthday (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/congress-gives-foia-modest-important-update-its-50th-birthday)

- Most Young Gig Economy Companies Way Behind On Protecting User Data (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/most-young-gig-economy-companies-way-behind-protecting-user-data-2016-review)

- Fighting for Fair Use and Safer Harbors (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/fighting-fair-use-and-safer-harbors)

- Secure Messaging Takes Some Steps Forward, Some Steps Back (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/secure-messaging-2016-year-review)

- Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Wide Web) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/everybody-wants-rule-world-internet-jurisdiction-2016)

- Chipping Away at National Security Letters (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/chipping-away-national-security-letters-2016-review)

- Shining a Spotlight on Shadow Regulation of the Internet (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/shining-spotlight-shadow-regulation-internet)

- Ringing in the New Year with Resistance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/ringing-new-year-resistance)

- Passing, Defeating, and Leveraging Legislation in California (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/passing-defeating-and-leveraging-legislation-california-2016)

- The Year We Went on Offense Against DRM (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/year-we-went-offense-against-drm-2016-review)

- Surveillance in Latin America (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/surveillance-latin-america)

- The State of Crypto Law (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/crypto-state-law-end-2016)

EFF Updates
EFF Ad in Wired: Tech Community Must Secure Networks Against Trump Administration (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/eff-wired)
In a full-page advertisement in Wired magazine, EFF published an open letter calling on technologists to secure computer networks against overreaches by the upcoming Trump administration and to protect a free, secure, and open Internet. The letter outlines four major ways the technology community can help: using encryption for every user transaction; practicing routine deletion of data logs; revealing publicly any government request to improperly monitor users or censor speech; and joining the fight for user rights in court, in Congress, and beyond.

Whistleblowers Don’t Need Elite Credentials To Help Protect Us from Government Overreach (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/whistleblowers-dont-need-elite-credentials-help-protect-us-government-overreach)
Author Malcolm Gladwell recently name-checked EFF in an article published in The New Yorker explaining what he sees as the differences between whistle-blowers Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg and concluding that Snowden doesn’t deserve the respect (or apparently the same legal protection) that Ellsberg does. As an organization that has extensive experience with trying to make change with whistleblower information, we sharply disagree with Mr. Gladwell’s conclusion, and even more so with how he gets there.

USTR Gets Piracy Website Listing Notoriously Wrong (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/ustr-gets-piracy-website-listing-notoriously-wrong)
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has just released another edition of its periodic Notorious Markets List, a spotlight on websites and physical markets that it claims facilitate copyright or trademark infringement. This year, the focus is on stream ripping sites that take the audio from a YouTube video and makes it available for you to download—which is, in many cases, a legitimate and lawful activity. Also in the firing line are several cyberlocker sites, intermediary domain registrars, and online libraries Bookfi and Library Genesis.

Stupid Patent of the Month: Carrying Trays on a Cart (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/12/stupid-patent-month-carrying-trays-cart)
December’s Stupid Patent of the Month was especially relevant as people traveled home for the holidays: advertising trays for security screening, a patent so broad it covers almost any system of using trays and carts at a checkpoint. The owner of this patent, SecurityPoint Holdings, Inc., has sued the United States government for infringement and recently won a trial on validity. Together with Public Knowledge, we recently filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to consider the obviousness standard in patent law.

miniLinks
New York Times: Cyberwar for Sale
(https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/magazine/cyberwar-for-sale.html?_r=0)The New York Times Magazine looks at the rise of private contractors selling hacking tools to governments. The article is based on leaked documents from a surveillance software maker showing just how dangerous and profitable the industry is.

Op-Ed: Why Trump must Save the Government's Privacy Board
(http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/01/privacy-board-trump-national-security-000264)An op-ed in POLITICO argues that incoming President Trump should save the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, the five-member panel that is set to dwindle down to one member, leaving it without the ability to conduct its oversight of the U.S. intelligence community.

The Intercept: The U.S. Government Thinks that Thousands of Russian Hackers May Be Reading My Blog. They Aren’t.
(https://theintercept.com/2017/01/04/the-u-s-government-thinks-thousands-of-russian-hackers-are-reading-my-blog-they-arent/)The Intercept looked into a recent government report about Russian hackers and their supposedly identifying IP address and found flaws in the report because it didn’t account for the use of Tor.


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calikid
01-23-2017, 04:45 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 712


Watch our new video about encrypting the web. (https://www.eff.org/encrypt-the-web)

In most issues of EFFector, we give an overview of all the work we’re doing at EFF. Today, we’re doing a deep dive into a single issue: EFF's efforts to encrypt the web and our new video with Baratunde Thurston.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdnpNJZVUE0
We're on a mission to encrypt the web. So we teamed up with the folks over at Sandwich Video and comedian and social critic Baratunde Thurston to spread the word about how you can use our tools to help.

Sandwich is the production company behind some of the best product launch videos in tech, and you may know Baratunde from his New York Times bestseller How To Be Black, or his work on The Daily Show and The Onion. We brought these creative forces together and made a video to show you why we need to continue moving from the non-secure HTTP to the more secure HTTPS and how you--with EFF tech tools HTTPS Everywhere and Certbot--can help us get there.

The web is in the middle of a massive change from HTTP to HTTPS. All web servers use one of these two protocols to get web pages from the server to your browser. HTTP has serious problems that make it vulnerable to eavesdropping and content hijacking. HTTPS fixes most of these problems. As Baratunde says in the video, “That ‘S’ makes all the difference. It’s for secure.”

For too long, website owners chose to implement HTTPS only for a small number of pages, like those that accepted passwords or credit card numbers. However, in recent years, the Internet security community has come to realize that all web pages need protection.

That’s why we and other like-minded organizations have been pushing for the use of HTTPS across the web. We’ve been calling on all website owners to implement HTTPS by default, and we’re providing the tools to do it.

One tool is HTTPS Everywhere, our browser extension that redirects users to HTTPS sites wherever possible. Many sites partially support HTTPS by making HTTPS available but sending visitors to the non-secure HTTP site by default. HTTPS Everywhere fixes that by redirecting requests to these sites to HTTPS when it’s available, automatically activating encryption and HTTPS protection that might otherwise slip through the cracks.

Our second tool is Certbot, which helps website operators set up encryption for their sites in a convenient and free way. Using a series of easy-to-follow interactive instructions, Certbot can automatically fetch custom certificates for your domain. It can also automatically configure your webserver to support encrypted traffic and even be set to renew that certificate whenever it’s close to expiring so that you never have to worry about it again.

In the video, Baratunde goes through our goal of encrypting the entire web and the reasons to use HTTPS Everywhere and Certbot. Watch and share the video, and start protecting yourself online today.

miniLinks

Microsoft: Privacy Announcement about Windows 10 (https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/01/10/continuing-commitment-privacy-windows-10/)
Microsoft announced important and welcome privacy changes for Windows 10 users, though we're still waiting for more details.
.
Reason: The Cops Are Interested in Your Tattoos (https://reason.com/reasontv/2017/01/10/the-cops-are-interested-in-your-tattoo)
Reason explains how automated tattoo recognition technology threatens civil liberties.
.
CPJ: Why the U.S. Needs to be a Global Leader in Protecting Strong Encryption (https://cpj.org/blog/2017/01/transition-to-trump-why-us-needs-to-be-global-lead.php)
Obama failed to implement a strong policy protecting encryption. Donald Trump's comments on the campaign trail suggest the president-elect is unlikely to support measures to protect it.
.


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calikid
02-14-2017, 12:35 AM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 713


Our Plan for the First 100 Days of Trump’s Presidency (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/our-100-day-plan)

The United States has entered a new era. Donald Trump has sworn the oath of office, pledging to uphold the Constitution. But as EFF has learned in the course of defending our fundamental rights over four American presidencies, our civil liberties need an independent defense force.

The first 100 days will set the tone for the rest of Mr. Trump’s time in office. The transition team has laid out what they hope to accomplish over this period. Some of the things he and his team said have us preparing for the worst. Based on statements about surveillance, net neutrality, and press freedom, we anticipate attempts to undercut many of the hard-won protections for technology users and thwart efforts to reform broken laws.

So we’ve set out how we will fight for your rights over those first 100 Days, including continuing to defend digital rights in court, testing and leveraging the Freedom of Information Act, and holding Silicon Valley accountable.

EFF Celebrates Copyright Week (https://www.eff.org/copyrightweek)

Copyright law not only impacts the music you hear or the movies you watch, it shapes your ability to communicate with others online, to create, post or share content to online platforms, to make art that talks back to popular culture, and to use, fix, and tinker with your own belongings. When copyright law is out of balance–when content holders are given too much power to control how new technologies and copyrighted works are used–it limits our basic freedoms to access information, to express ourselves, to control our own digital devices, and to innovate to create new tools and creative works.

Five years ago this week, a diverse coalition of Internet users, non-profit groups, and Internet companies defeated the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) (https://www.eff.org/issues/coica-internet-censorship-and-copyright-bill), bills that would have forced Internet companies to blacklist and block websites accused of hosting copyright infringing content. In the five years since SOPA, new threats have emerged. We continue to fight alongside our allies to push back against proposals that would expand copyright’s reach and trample on the public interest and push for a better copyright law that serves everyone, not just established copyright industries.

As part of that work, each year we join together with a diverse range of organizations to advocate for a set of principles for making copyright law work for everyone, including defending the public domain, protecting the right to tinker, and transparency and representation in the copyright policy setting process.

EFF Updates

EFF Applauds Obama’s Decision to Commute Chelsea Manning’s Sentence (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/eff-celebrates-obamas-decision-chelsea-manning-be-released-year)

As one of his very last acts in office, President Obama has commuted the sentence of whistleblower Chelsea Manning by 28 years. EFF applauds Obama for using his last days as president to bring justice to Manning’s case. And we congratulate all those who supported, defended, and spoke out on behalf of Manning over the years and supported her clemency petition. Your efforts secured her freedom.

EFF Pushes Back on Ruling that Threatens Free Speech Online (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/eff-court-dont-undermine-legal-protections-online-platforms-enable-free-speech)

EFF is asking a court to overturn a ruling that could cripple online platforms that host and aggregate user reviews. In a brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, EFF argues that a lower court got it wrong when it ruled that ConsumerAffairs.com could be held liable for reviews written by the site’s users—despite the fact that platforms like ConsumerAffairs.com have broad protections when they aggregate or otherwise edit users’ content. If the decision is allowed to stand, EFF’s brief argues, then platforms may take steps to further censor or otherwise restrict user content out of fear of being held liable.

Kazakhstan’s Legal Harassment, Abuse of Computer Law Finally Ends (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/kazakhstans-exploitation-flawed-us-law-censor-respublika-finally-ends-cautionary)

The Republic of Kazakhstan’s legal harassment of independent newspaper Respublika and other fierce critics of the ruling regime has finally come to an end. Kazakhstan employed the deeply flawed U.S. hacking statute called the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to mount a two-year campaign of harassment, censorship, and retaliation against the publication in courts around the world. The clock ran out on Kazakhstan’s lawsuit and the government finally dismissed it, but not before real damage was done to the free speech rights of the newspaper, which was forced to shut down, and other parties.

EFF Urges Court to Protect Free Speech From Overbroad Use of DMCA (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/eff-ninth-circuit-protect-free-speech-overbroad-dmca)

In order to make remix videos, do computer research, or make e-books accessible, people often need to bypass access controls on the media they own. In a brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, EFF argues that the government cannot prohibit such speech without running afoul of the First Amendment. The case centers around VidAngel, a service that allows customers to view movies minus the parts it identifies as offensive. We filed to ensure the court understands the impact on speech of an anti-circumvention law that does not include flexible accommodations like a fair use exemption.

miniLinks

Trump Pulls Out of TPP (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/us/politics/tpp-trump-trade-nafta.html?_r=1)

President Donald Trump has formally pulled the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that raised intellectual property concerns for the digital rights community.

SEC Probing Yahoo over Data Breaches (https://www.wsj.com/articles/yahoo-faces-sec-probe-over-data-breaches-1485133124?mod=e2tw)

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Yahoo should have notified investors about its two massive data breaches sooner, The Wall Street Journal reports.

China Gets Tough on VPNs
(http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-internet-idUSKBN15715U)
Chinese authorities are cracking down on services like virtual private networks that let residents gain unauthorized access to websites that have been blocked within the country, according to Reuters.


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This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.
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calikid
02-16-2017, 03:13 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 714 - Pg 1 of 2


If You've Experienced a Digital Border Search, Tell Us Your Story (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/invasive-digital-border-searches-tell-eff-your-story)

Following President Trump’s confusing executive order on terrorism and immigration, there have been reports that border agents at airports were searching the cell phones of passengers arriving from the Middle East, including U.S. permanent residents. We’re concerned that this indicates an expansion of the already invasive digital practices of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, so we’re asking for your digital border search stories.

Searching through Americans’ social media data and personal devices intrudes upon both First and Fourth Amendment rights. As part of our work to combat what we believe to be unconstitutional practices at the border, and to better understand how the Trump Administration’s new policies may be changing border practices, we would like to hear your stories.

Please let us know if a U.S. official at the border examined your cell phone, laptop, or other digital device; asked for your device’s passcode or ordered you to unlock or decrypt it; or asked for your social media handles. We would like to hear from everyone, but especially if you are a citizen or permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States.

Ethiopian Hacking Case Continues in Court (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/can-foreign-governments-launch-malware-attacks-americans-without-consequences)

Can foreign governments spy on Americans in America with impunity? That was the question in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week, when EFF and others went to court in Kidane v. Ethiopia.

Despite the numerous issues on appeal, the argument focused on whether U.S. courts have jurisdiction to hear a case brought by an American citizen for wiretapping and invasion of his privacy that occurred in his living room in suburban Maryland. As we've argued, the question of whether U.S. courts can provide a remedy to an American who was wiretapped shouldn't turn on where the eavesdropper was sitting, but rather where the actual wiretapping occurred.

Ethiopia's lawyer took the position that the country should be able to do anything to Americans in America, even set off a car bomb, as long as Ethiopia didn’t have a human agent in the United States. One judge asked what would happen if Ethiopia mailed a letter bomb into the United States to assassinate an opponent, or hacked an American's self-driving car, causing it to crash. Ethiopia didn't hesitate: their counsel said that they could not be sued for any of those.

The Supreme Court's Digital Rights To-Do List (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/digital-rights-issues-horizon-supreme-court)

The Supreme Court already has a list of digital civil liberties issues to consider in the near future, and that list is likely to grow. If confirmed, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court—Judge Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit—will be in a position to make crucial decisions affecting our basic rights to privacy, free expression, and innovation.

On the privacy front, the Supreme Court is being asked to consider a pair of cases dealing with law enforcement obtaining cell phone location records: the U.S. v. Graham ruling out of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. v. Carpenter out of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. On free speech, the court is set to hear arguments on Packingham vs. North Carolina and consider the constitutionality of a North Carolina law that bans registered sex offenders from using online social media platforms that minors also access.

When it comes to intellectual property issues, the court has agreed to hear arguments in a case centered around where patent infringement lawsuits can be brought and arguments in a case about whether a patent holder can put limits on how a customer can use, resell, tinker with, or analyze a patented product a customer has purchased. The court is also being asked to hear arguments in cases that consider how copyright holders should be held accountable for unreasonable infringement claims and whether the Patent Office's appeals board uses the correct standard when determining obviousness of issued patents.

EFF Updates

News and Government Sites Switch to HTTPS (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/victories-encrypting-web-news-and-goverment-sites-switch-https)

The last year has seen enormous progress in encrypting the web. Two categories in particular have made extraordinary strides: news sites—including Wired, BuzzFeed, The New York Times, and The Guardian—and U.S. government sites.The common thread between the news industry’s huge progress and the federal government’s huge progress in deploying HTTPS? Metrics. Reports like like EFF’s 2013 Encrypt the Web Report (https://www.eff.org/encrypt-the-web-report), the General Service Administration's Pulse (https://pulse.cio.gov/), and Freedom of the Press Foundation's Secure the News (https://securethe.news/) provide important insight into how much progress is being made and an incentive for individual sites to improve.

California Advances Bills to Protect Residents Data from Federal Government (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/california-bills-safeguard-privacy-federal-government-pass-committee)

The California Senate recently moved forward with two new state bills that would create a database firewall between California and the federal government. One, S.B. 54, would prevent law enforcement agencies in California from sharing department databases or private information with the federal government for immigration enforcement and would require state agencies to update their confidentiality polices so that they stop collecting or sharing unnecessary data about every Californian. Another, S.B. 31, would prevent local and state government agencies from collecting data, sharing data, or using resources to participate in any program that would create a registry of people based on their religion, ethnicity, or national origin.

We Want a Copyright Office that Serves the Public (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/we-want-copyright-office-serves-public)

The Copyright Office, and those who lead it, should serve the public as a whole, not just major media and entertainment companies. In comments to the leadership of the House Judiciary Committee this week, we told Congress that if it restructures the Copyright Office, it has to put in safeguards against the agency becoming nothing more than a cheerleader for large corporate copyright holders.

Federal Court Says Public Safety Laws Can Be Locked Behind Paywalls (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/federal-court-rules-against-publicresourceorg-says-public-safety-laws-can-be)

Everyone should be able to read the law, discuss it, and share it with others, without having to pay a toll or sign a contract. Unfortunately, a federal district court has recently said otherwise, ruling that private organizations can use copyright to control access to huge portions of our state and federal laws. In its ruling, the court ordered Public.Resource.Org—which posts public documents, including regulations created through private standards organizations and later made into law—to stop providing public access to these key legal rules.

Copyright Alert System Closure Leaves Questions (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/its-end-copyright-alert-system-we-know-it)

The Copyright Alert System has called it quits, but questions remain about what, if anything, will replace the private agreement between several large Internet service providers (ISPs) and big media and entertainment companies. That agreement allowed the media and entertainment companies to monitor those ISPs' subscribers' peer-to-peer network traffic for potential copyright infringement, and imposed penalties on subscribers accused of infringing. EFF had serious concerns with the program from the start, and we welcome its retirement. But we’re not celebrating just yet.

An Unsatisfying Update on Operation Choke Point (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/documents-about-financial-censorship-under-operation-choke-point-concern-congress)

EFF recently received dozens of pages of documents in response to a FOIA request we submitted about Operation Choke Point, a Department of Justice project to pressure banks and financial institutions into cutting off service to certain businesses. While Operation Choke Point was purportedly aimed at shutting down fraudulent online payday loan companies, we became concerned that this campaign could also affect legal online businesses. Unfortunately, the response from the Department of Justice leaves many questions unanswered.

Issue 714 continued in next post

calikid
02-16-2017, 03:23 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 714 - Pg 2 of 2


miniLinks

Judges Split on Data Stored Abroad (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-usa-warrant-idUSKBN15J0ON)

A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over users' emails stored in servers located abroad in compliance with search warrants, despite the fact that a federal court said last year that Microsoft did not have to turn over data stored abroad, Reuters reports.

Behind the Scenes at the FBI (https://theintercept.com/series/the-fbis-secret-rules/)

The Intercept does a deep dive into the largely-unknown rules governing the FBI.

Cyber Executive Order Delayed (https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-01-31/trump-delays-signing-cyber-order-to-focus-on-immigration-suit)

President Donald Trump delayed the signing of an executive order that was reportedly aimed at bolstering the federal government's cybersecurity protections, according to Bloomberg.


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calikid
02-28-2017, 03:56 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 715



Tell Congress to Protect Our Online Privacy Rights (https://act.eff.org/action/tell-congress-to-protect-our-online-privacy-rights)

Records of your online activity reveal a tremendous amount about you. That's why the FCC put in place critical broadband privacy protection rules late last year to protect your right to privacy online. Now, some members of Congress are looking to completely erase those rules and let your Internet service provider sell information about what you look at, what your purchase, and who you talk to online.

If that weren't enough, the method Congress would use -- passing a Congressional Review Act resolution -- would effectively permanently ban the FCC from ever writing new privacy rules. Because of the current legal landscape, the Federal Trade Commission is already barred from policing Internet service providers. So if Congress repeals the rules, there will be no federal cop on the beat for Internet privacy, and your sensitive Internet activity could be sold to the highest bidder.

We're Halfway to Encrypting the Web (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/were-halfway-encrypting-entire-web)

The movement to encrypt the web has reached a milestone. As of earlier this month, approximately half of Internet traffic is now protected by HTTPS. In other words, we are halfway to a web safer from the eavesdropping, content hijacking, cookie stealing, and censorship that HTTPS can protect against.

Mozilla recently reported that the average volume of encrypted web traffic on Firefox now surpasses the average unencrypted volume. Google Chrome’s figures on HTTPS usage are consistent with that finding, showing that over 50% of of all pages loaded are protected by HTTPS across different operating systems.

Our goal is a universally encrypted web. Until then, we have more work to do. Protect your own browsing and websites with tools like HTTPS Everywhere and Certbot, and spread the word to your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. Together, we can encrypt the entire web.

Lawmakers Call for Warrants for Cell-Site Simulators (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/bipartisan-congressional-oversight-committee-wants-probable-cause-warrants-0)

A new bipartisan report from U.S. lawmakers showcases troubling details about police abuse of cell-site simulators and calls on Congress to pass laws ensuring that this powerful technology is only deployed with a court-issued probable cause warrant.

EFF has long opposed law enforcement’s use of cell-site simulators as incompatible with the protections of the Fourth Amendment because they indiscriminately gather information on countless innocent people who have the misfortune of being in the vicinity of a suspect target. They also disproportionately burden minority communities.

Unless and until cellular technology evolves beyond the vulnerability that makes cell-site simulators possible, we’re advocating for strong regulation, transparency, and public oversight of the use of such technology by law enforcement. Accordingly, we applaud the report from Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Elijah Cummings, which provides new information to the public about these shadowy tools and recommends important privacy safeguards.

EFF Updates

Sen. Wyden Stands up for Fourth Amendment at the Border (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/sen-wyden-border-searches-digital-devices-should-require-warrant)

This week Sen. Wyden sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly announcing plans to introduce legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before searching the data on digital devices at the border. We have been arguing for a while that the Fourth Amendment requires a warrant based on probable cause for border searches of cell phones, laptops, and other mobile devices, and we applaud Wyden for trying to “guarantee that the Fourth Amendment is respected at the border.”

EFF Tells Copyright Office: Safe Harbors Work (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/eff-copyright-office-safe-harbors-work)

The “notice-and-takedown” process for addressing online copyright infringement isn’t perfect: it’s often abused to remove lawful speech from the Internet. But it many cases this process works pretty well, particularly because of the safe harbors that protect Internet services that comply with the law. EFF submitted comments to the Copyright Office this week arguing that safe harbors help protect the Internet as a viable and accessible platform for free expression and innovation, ensuring that online platforms are encouraged to experiment with new forms of communication and connection without threat of costly legal action.

Microsoft's Fight Over Government Requests for Data Moves Ahead (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/step-forward-microsofts-legal-battle-transparency-about-government-data-requests)

A federal court in Seattle recently allowed Microsoft to move ahead with its challenge to the law that lets courts impose indefinite gag orders on Internet companies when they receive requests for customer data. It’s an important ruling, with implications for a range of government secrecy provisions, including national security letters. Unfortunately, the court also dismissed Microsoft’s Fourth Amendment claim on behalf of its users.

San Diego Police Targeted African American Children for Unlawful DNA Collection (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/san-diego-police-targets-african-american-children-unlawful-dna-collection)

Police in San Diego, California unlawfully stopped a group of African American children and collected their DNA to add to the department's DNA database, according to a lawsuit filed recently by the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties on behalf of one of the families affected. The police department's actions, as alleged in the complaint, illustrate the severe and very real threats to privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights presented by granting law enforcement access to our DNA.

Government Malware Goes After Mexican Public Health Advocates (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/global-civil-society-against-illegal-malware-attacks-mexican-researchers)

A group of Mexican nutrition policy makers and public health workers have been the latest targets of government malware attacks. According to The New York Times, several public health advocates were targeted by spyware developed by NSO Group, a surveillance software company that sells its products exclusively to governments. The targets were all vocal proponents of Mexico’s 2014 soda tax—a regulation that the soda industry saw as a threat to its commercial interests in Mexico.



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calikid
03-30-2017, 03:57 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 716


EFF's How-To Guide to Privacy at the Border (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/digital-privacy-us-border-new-how-guide-eff)

Increasingly frequent and invasive searches at the U.S. border have raised questions for those of us who want to protect the private data on our computers, phones, and other digital devices. In response, EFF has released a guide to give travelers the facts they need in order to prepare for border crossings while protecting their digital information.

“Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border” helps everyone do a risk assessment, evaluating personal factors like immigration status, travel history, and the sensitivity of the data you are carrying. Assessing your risk factors helps you choose a path to proactively protect yourself, which might mean leaving some devices at home, moving some information off of your devices and into the cloud, or using encryption. In addition to the full report, EFF has also created a pocket guide for helping people concerned with data protection.

According to EFF Senior Staff Attorney Adam Schwartz, “The border is not a Constitution-free zone, but sometimes the rules are less protective of travelers and some border agents can be aggressive." Schwartz called for "clearer legal protections for everyone, but in the meantime, our report and pocket guides aim to put more power back into the hands of travelers.”

U.S. Court: Foreign Governments Can Remotely Harm Americans (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/dc-circuit-court-issues-dangerous-decision-cybersecurity-ethiopia-free-spy)

A federal court held in a recent ruling that foreign governments are free to spy on, injure, or even kill Americans in their own homes--so long as they do so by remote control.

The decision comes in a case about a U.S. citizen whose family home computer was attacked by malware that captured and then sent his every keystroke and Skype call to a server controlled by the Ethiopian government, likely in response to his political activity in favor of democratic reforms in Ethiopia.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the citizen had no legal remedy against Ethiopia for this attack, despite the fact that he was wiretapped at home in Maryland. The court held that, because the Ethiopian government hatched its plan in Ethiopia and its agents launched the attack that occurred in Maryland from outside the U.S., a law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act prevented U.S. courts from even hearing the case.

Under this decision, you have no recourse under law if a foreign government hacks into your car and drives it off the road, targets you for a drone strike, or even sends a virus to your pacemaker, as long as the government planned the attack on foreign soil.

Congress Is About to Let Your ISP Get Creepier (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/five-creepy-things-your-isp-could-do-if-congress-repeals-fccs-privacy-protections)

If Congress moves ahead with plans to repeal the FCC's broadband privacy rules, your ISP will be able to do more and creepier things to you when you go online.

In addition to selling information about what you do and who you talk to online--which is already creepy enough--your ISP would also be able to hijack your searches so that you go directly to certain websites instead of seeing your search results. Your ISP would also be able to use new ways to track your every move online to place targeted ads in front of you. This could include injecting ads into your traffic based on your browsing history and injecting undetectable, undeletable tracking cookies in all of your HTTP traffic. It could also result in mobile carriers pre-installing software on your phone to track your Internet activity.

ISPs are telling Congress that this move won't really affect consumers, but we know that's not true (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/three-myths-telecom-industry-using-convince-congress-repeal-fccs-privacy-rules). Congress repealing these privacy rules would leave Internet users with no protection at the federal level from the creepy things their ISPs want to do to them.

Call your lawmakers today to tell them to oppose this effort to kill the FCC's privacy rules.
(https://act.eff.org/action/don-t-let-congress-undermine-our-online-privacy)
EFF Updates

The Supreme Court's Dissapointing Diaper Patent Ruling (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/supreme-court-patent-owner-can-lie-wait)

The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a disappointing ruling in a case over a patent on adult diapers that makes it easier for patent trolls to bring lawsuits long after the alleged infringement supposedly started. The 7-1 decision will allow trolls to sit around while others independently develop and build technology. The troll can then jump out from under the bridge and demand payment for work it had nothing to do with.

EFF Presents the 2017 Foilies (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/foilies-2017)

In honor of Sunshine Week earlier this month, EFF compiled the third-annual "Foilies," our anti-awards identifying the times when access to information has been stymied or when government agencies have responded in the most absurd ways to records requests. Highlights include current Vice President Mike Pence's use of a private AOL email account to conduct official business as Indiana governor, the Public Health Agency of Canada's use of tape and paper to redact information in documents sent to a journalists, and a local California police department's tactic of spreading fake news.

Don't Let Big Pharma, Big Content Control Domain Seizures (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/if-government-cant-get-domain-seizures-right-why-should-we-expect-better-big)

Domain seizure by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already a messy and imperfect system. Take, for example, the recent seizure of vicodin.com despite the fact that it belongs to the manufacturer and registered trademark holder for Vicodin. But domain seizure by private companies, a plan being pushed by Big Pharma and Big Content, will likely result in the number of mistaken domain seizure skyrocketing, and victims will likely have even less recourse than they have against a government seizure.

Payment Processors Acting as Online Censors (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/payment-processors-are-still-policing-your-sex-life)

Adult social network FetLife has lost its ability to process credit card payments in the latest attempt from payment processors to censor sites when they dislike those sites' constitutionally protected speech. The ban appears to have come down from one of the credit card networks, which shut down both of the merchant accounts that FetLife used to process payments, justifying this to one merchant with complaints about "blood, needles, and vampirism" on the website, and to the other with the vague explanation of "illegal or immoral reasons".

Maryland Moves to Reclaim University Innovation from Trolls (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/were-one-step-closer-reclaiming-university-innovation-trolls)

Maryland is considering legislation that would keep public universities from selling or licensing their patents to patent assertion entities whose sole business model is threatening other innovators with patent lawsuits. The bill being considered in Maryland is modeled after draft legislation written as part of Reclaim Invention, a campaign from EFF and partner organizations to encourage universities across the country to commit to adopting patent policies that advance the public good.

California Bill Would Keep Kids Online (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/california-youth-detention-and-foster-care-deserve-internet-access)

Youth in California's juvenile detention and foster care programs should have secure and supervised access to the Internet. That's why EFF is supporting a new state bill to establish that youth in custody have a right to “reasonable access to computer technology and the Internet for the purposes of education and maintaining contact with family and supportive adults" and to establish the right of youth in foster care to have access to computers and the Internet.
miniLinks

Trump Administration Enacts Device Ban on Planes (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/us/politics/tsa-ban-electronics-laptops-cabin.html)

The Trump administration has prohibited passengers traveling on direct inbound flights from airports in 10 Muslim-majority countries from carrying on devices larger than a cell phone.

Twitter Sees Increase in Government Requests for Data (http://thehill.com/policy/technology/324975-twitter-sees-bump-in-global-govt-information-requests)

In its newest transparency report, Twitter said it saw a 7 percent increase in government requests for data during the second half of 2016.

Google, Jigsaw Offer Cyber Defense Tools to Election Groups (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-election-idUSKBN16S166)

Google and sister company Jigsaw are expanding their free cyber defense toolkit to civic groups and election organizers in the wake of recent high profile hacks, including the DNC's data breach during the 2016 election.



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calikid
04-04-2017, 03:58 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 4/1/2017

EFF Updates

Surveillance Oversight Committees Confused ‘Oversight’ and ‘Overlook (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)’

The bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees apologized during a press conference this morning for failing to provide rigorous supervision of the intelligence community, blaming past years’ inaction on a fundamental misunderstanding of the word “oversight.” “It was merely a miscommunication,” House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said. “We had mixed up the word ‘oversee’ and the word ‘overlook.’ We thought we were supposed to overlook the mistakes of the intelligence community, not provide oversight.” Senate Intelligence Committee Richard Burr said, “We unequivocally condone the privacy invasions committed by U.S. intelligence agencies. Oh shoot, I mean condemn.”

European Union Announces Plan for Privacy Wall Around U.S. (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

European Union Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova announced plans today to permanently protect Europeans’ data from U.S. government spying with the newest transnational data agreement: Privacy Wall. Once approved by the European Commission, the EU will begin constructing a thirty-foot wall around the United States. Only U.S. tech companies that comply with EU privacy restrictions and prohibit U.S. government access to their data will be given fiber optic grappling hooks to transport Europeans’ data across the Atlantic, over the wall, and back to their U.S.-based servers. U.S. lawmakers appeared unfazed by U.S. companies’ complaints that Privacy Wall will effectively kill their business abroad, but they responded to alarm bells raised by officials in the intelligence community who are concerned about losing generalized access to Europeans’ data.

In Major Mix-Up, Oscars for Best Film Goes to Most Torrent-ed Movie (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

The Academy Awards suffered an astounding embarrassment this week when presenters Alfonso Ribeiro and Mayim Bialik incorrectly handed out the Oscar for Best Film to the most-frequently torrent-ed movie of 2016, Deadpool, instead of the actual winner, Moonlight. Hollywood is blaming the mistake on accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is responsible for guarding the envelopes containing names of both Oscars winners and TorrentFreak’s list of most frequently torrent-ed films. Having been left off the list of Best Film nominees all together, Deadpool director Tim Miller and lead actor Ryan Reynolds were not in attendance at Sunday night’s Oscars, giving Kanye West time to take the stage and correct the mistake.

FBI Seeks Technical Backdoor to Un-Mute iPhones (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

Frustrated by silence on conference calls, the FBI is asking Apple to provide a backdoor so that the agency can un-mute iPhones across the world without the iPhone users’ consent. “It’s incredibly frustrating when you’re waiting for someone to chime in on a conference call, and they’re still on mute,” FBI Director Jim Comey said at a press conference today. Comey appeared unmoved by arguments from technology and civil liberties advocates that creating a backdoor into all iPhones would undermine the privacy and security of tens of millions of technology users around the world. “Our work to protect this country’s national security is too important to wait the seconds it takes for our analysts to unlock and un-mute their phones,” Comey said. When asked if the FBI was seeking a similar accommodation from Android-developer Google, Comey at first laughed, but quickly sobered and asked “wait, people still use Android?”

EFF Releases Surveillance Self Defense for In-Person Meetings

EFF is out with an updated Surveillance Self Defense guide today that includes, for the first time, security tips for in-person meetings. Highlights include recommendations for verifying a person’s identity, evading facial recognition systems, and circumventing censorship. For instance, you should have anyone you meet print off their public PGP key on red paper, fold that paper into the shape of a flower, and pin that paper flower to their label. Additionally, the guide recommends drawing Kiss-style shapes on your face with eyeliner to protect yourself from facial recognition technology and constantly carrying around a bullhorn so you can shout louder than anyone trying to limit your free speech.

EFF Gives Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Pioneer Award to Perfect 10

EFF is awarding a 2017 Pioneer Award to recently-defunct men’s magazine and prodigious copyright-litigation-loser, Perfect 10. EFF established the Pioneer Awards in 1992 to recognize leaders on the electronic frontier who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of information technology. The awards celebrate those who have contributed substantially to the health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based communications. Perfect 10 is receiving a posthumous lifetime achievement Pioneer Award this year for its cutting-edge strategy of losing copyright lawsuits in order to advance the doctrine of fair use. After losing cases against Amazon, Google, CCBill, and Megaupload, Perfect 10 was finally liquidated in March of this year to satisfy a litigation debt to yet another victorious defendant, Giganews. We salute Perfect 10’s dozen-year campaign to help make the Internet more free by consistently losing in court. Bravo!

Intelligence Community Unveils Emotional Vulnerabilities Program

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats today revealed a new program by which the U.S. Intelligence Community will, when appropriate, disclose information about emotional vulnerabilities it discovers in the course of its national security work. Building off of the widely celebrated success of the vulnerabilities equities process (which still exists, we think?), U.S. intelligence agencies will begin sharing and sometimes publishing information about the personality quirks it discovers as it conducts surveillance of law-abiding Americans. “We hope to make the country more secure by letting people know that their roommate has arachnophobia, their brother is addicted to tanning beds, and their mother has a fear of being abandoned by her children,” said Coats after flinching away from a pigeon that wasn’t even flying toward the DNI.


miniLinks


White House Supports Day without a (Internet) Troll (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

Following the success of the Day Without a Woman general strike in March, the White House has thrown its support behind today’s Day without a Troll strike, during which all Internet trolls will disappear from comment sections and forums online.

Comcast to Assimilate with the Borg (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

Looking to increase its market share, nationwide reach, and overall reputation for evil, the Borg has announced that it is assimilating broadband giant Comcast. “This merger will benefit consumers and boost broadband competition, and the federal government should quickly approve it,” Comcast’s David Cohen said in a statement. “Plus, resistance is futile.”

White House Releases Diceware Passphrase List

In an attempt to demonstrate President Donald Trump’s tech savvy, the White House has released a list of suggested words to use when attempting to create a secure passphrase. "Our list has the best words," said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. "Words like tremendous, disaster, MAGA, big-league, low-energy, beautiful, and winning. Sad!"

FBI Director Acknowledges Secure Backdoors Are Impossible

FBI Director Jim Comey said today that his agency, agreeing with technical experts, has officially concluded that it is impossible to create a backdoor into encrypted technologies without undermining users’ security. Nope, even that’s too ridiculous for an April Fool’s newsletter.




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calikid
05-20-2017, 03:05 AM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 718
May 2017


What You Need to Know About 'About' Searches (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/04/end-nsas-about-searches-just-beginning)

In most issues of EFFector, we give an overview of all the work we’re doing at EFF. Today, we’re doing a deep dive into a single issue: the NSA's recent announcement that it will no longer conduct "about" searches as part of its Upstream surveillance.

You may have seen the NSA in the news lately announcing that it will no longer use one of its most controversial surveillance techniques.

This is a win for privacy protections, for groups like EFF fighting unlawful surveillance in the courts, and for anyone who pushed for surveillance reform by signing a petition, contacting their lawmakers, or otherwise voicing their concerns about warrantless spying. But it’s only a first step.

So what exactly did the NSA say it would stop doing?

Late in the day on a Friday in April, The New York Times reported (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/us/politics/nsa-surveillance-terrorism-privacy.html)—and the agency quickly confirmed (https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/press-room/statements/2017-04-28-702-statement.shtml)—that the NSA will no longer conduct “about” searches of the full content of Internet communications.

“About” searches are searches of online communications—including to and from innocent Americans—that the NSA runs after it intercepts and copies communications directly from the high-capacity cables that carry Internet traffic as a part of its Upstream program. The U.S. government has claimed these warrantless searches of Americans’ email are allowed under Section 702, enacted as part of the FISA Amendments Act, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

While the NSA will continue to look through the “to” and “from” fields of communication to see if they contain any identifiers that the agency has determined are connected to foreign intelligence targets, they will no longer look through the body of those communications to see if they mention—or are “about”—these identifiers. Not only did the NSA stop these searches, the agency said it would delete the “vast majority” of the information it collected under Section 702 “to further protect the privacy of U.S. person communications.”

The NSA has long defended these “about” searches as both necessary for national security and impossible to avoid due to the technical limitations of the Upstream program. In the NSA’s own announcement, it acknowledged that losing “about” searches would cost it “some other important data.”

The NSA’s willingness to give up what it has described as a crucial tool as well as go back and delete communications it has already collected was a welcome but somewhat shocking development.

But, as the NSA admitted, this decision was a result of “inadvertent compliance incidents,” or violations of court-imposed restrictions. In other words, the court tasked with overseeing the NSA’s surveillance programs told the NSA it shouldn’t be doing these privacy-invasive searches of Americans’ communications.

And that’s an argument we’re familiar with. For nearly a decade, EFF has argued in court that “about” searches and other searches and seizures of Americans’ communications without a warrant are unconstitutional. In a case currently in federal court—Jewel v. NSA—EFF is suing the NSA over “about” searches and other privacy-invasive aspects of Upstream surveillance under Section 702.

Despite prolonged stalling from the U.S. government, we’re in the process of finally getting some answers about how the NSA’s surveillance actually works. At the end of this week, we’ll be back in court to figure out just what information the government has to hand over as part of our lawsuit.

In addition to continuing to fight in the courts, EFF is calling on lawmakers to stand up for the privacy of their constituents as Congress considers reauthorizing Section 702 before it expires at the end of this year. These changes should include codifying the NSA’s announced end of “about” searches.

The breadth of these “about” searches was one of the reasons the NSA swept up so many innocent Americans’ communications, so the announced end of “about” searches is good news for anyone who wants government surveillance to follow the law. But there’s much more to be done to rein in unconstitutional spying.

Tell your representatives in Congress to protect their constituents’ privacy and let warrantless Upstream surveillance lapse when Section 702 sunsets at the end of the year. And stay up to date on EFF’s fight in court to end the government’s unlawful invasion of your privacy.

miniLinks

Global Ransomware Attacks Might Be Linked to North Korea, Researchers Say (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-attack-idUSKCN18B0AC)

Two cybersecurity firms say North Korea may be linked to the recent ransomware attack that has infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, according to Reuters.

FBI Director James Comey Ousted by Trump (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/james-comey-fired-fbi.html?_r=0)

President Donald Trump has fired FBI Director James Comey as the agency investigates whether Trump's advisers colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.

Pentagon Turns to AI to Fight ISIS (http://cdn.defenseone.com/a/defenseone/interstitial.html?v=7.5.0&rf=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defenseone.com%2Ftechnology%2F 2017%2F05%2Fpentagons-new-algorithmic-warfare-cell-gets-its-first-mission-hunt-isis%2F137833%2F)

The Pentagon is turning to machine learning and videos filmed by drones in its efforts to fight ISIS, Defense One reports.





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calikid
06-24-2017, 07:27 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 720
June 2017

We're Suing the FBI for Records About Best Buy Geek Squad Informant (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/FBI-tries-to-bypass-Fourth-Amendment-Safeguards-by-using-Geek-Squad)

A federal case in California has revealed that the FBI has been working for several years to cultivate informants in Best Buy’s national repair facility in Brooks, Kentucky, including reportedly paying eight Geek Squad employees as informants. According to court records, the scheme would work as follows: customers with computer problems would take their devices to the Geek Squad for repair. Once Geek Squad employees had the devices, they would surreptitiously search the unallocated storage space on the devices for evidence of suspected child porn images and then report any hits to the FBI for criminal prosecution

We think the FBI’s use of Best Buy Geek Squad employees to search people’s computers without a warrant threatens to circumvent people’s constitutional rights. That’s why we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the FBI seeking records about the extent to which it directs and trains Best Buy employees to conduct warrantless searches of people’s devices.

EFF has long been concerned about law enforcement using private actors, such as Best Buy employees, to conduct warrantless searches that the Fourth Amendment plainly bars police from doing themselves. The key question is at what point does a private person’s search turn into a government search that implicates the Fourth Amendment.

Despite Transparency Promises, Intel Agencies Won't Give Congress Info on Spying Law Impact (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/nsa-reneges-promise-tell-congress-how-many-innocent-americans-it-spies)

Lawmakers should know how the laws they pass impact their constituents. That’s especially true when the law would reauthorize a vast Internet and telephone spying program that collects information about millions of law-abiding Americans.

But that’s exactly what the Intelligence Community wants Congress to do when it considers reauthorizing a sweeping electronic surveillance authority under the expiring Section 702, as enacted by the FISA Amendments Act, before the end of the year.

Intelligence officials have been promising Congress they would provide lawmakers with an estimate of the number of American communications that are collected under Section 702. That estimate is a critical piece of information for lawmakers to have as they consider whether and how to reauthorize and reform the warrantless Internet surveillance of millions of innocent Americans in the coming months.

But during a hearing on Section 702 in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, despite previous assurances, said he won’t be providing that estimate out of national security and, ironically, privacy concerns.

Questions on Printer Dot Tracking after Arrest of NSA Leaker (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/printer-tracking-dots-back-news)

EFF's work on a secret tracking code embedded in many printed documents is back in the news, as journalists and experts have recently focused on the fact that a scanned document published by The Intercept contained tiny yellow dots. Those dots allow the document's origin and date of printing to be ascertained, which could have played a role in the arrest of Reality Leigh Winner, accused of leaking the document.

EFF has previously researched this tracking technology at some length; our work on it has helped bring it to public attention, including in a somewhat hilarious video.

While this tracking technology is pervasive in color laser printers--thanks to secret agreements between governments and the printer industry--it's quite possible that printer dots did not play any role in this investigation at all. However the government identified its suspect in this case, it's worth remembering that forensic techniques are very powerful and can often reveal the origins of documents in unexpected ways.

EFF Updates

A Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/eff-and-broad-coalition-call-day-action-defend-net-neutrality)

Net neutrality is under assault once again, with the Federal Communications Commission looking to reverse the legal underpinnings of its 2015 rules that keep ISPs from blocking or slowing customers' access to certain websites and services. It’s our Internet, and we will defend it. If you remember the censor bar of the online protests opposing SOPA in 2012 or the spinning wheel of Internet Slowdown Day in 2014, you know that the Internet can rise up and force regulators to listen in times of great need. Now is such a time. Mark your calendars for a day of digital protest on July 12.

EFF Asks Court to Dismiss Terrorism Claims Against Twitter (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/eff-court-holding-twitter-responsible-providing-material-support-terrorists-would)

Holding Twitter responsible for users' discussions of terrorist activities would threaten the First Amendment as well as legal protections for Internet platforms, EFF recently told a federal court. In a brief filed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, we argued that Twitter should not be held legally responsible for providing material support to terrorists by providing accounts to users who discussed and promoted terrorism. Finding Twitter responsible would impede on the First Amendment right of Internet users to access unpopular speech, the First Amendment right of Twitter to publish unpopular speech, and Section 230, as enacted by the Communications Decency Act, which protects Internet platforms from being held responsible for their users' actions.

Federal Circuit Hits Stupid Patent Owner With Fee Award (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/federal-circuit-hits-stupid-patent-owner-fee-award)

Patent litigation abuse thrives when patent trolls can force defendants into making a hard choice: pay the troll (even though the claim is absurd) or potentially pay even more to your lawyers to fight the case in court. This week, the Federal Circuit issued an encouraging ruling that will make it harder to use this gambit. Overturning a contrary decision by the patent-friendly Eastern District of Texas, the appellate court required a notorious patent troll that appears to be practicing this model to pay the defendant’s attorney’s fees. This case should make it at least a little bit easier easier for defendants to choose not to pay the troll.

Comcast Continues to Fight Net Neutrality Protections (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/dont-be-fooled-comcast-pr-machine-it-has-always-opposed-open-internet)

If you've been following the network neutrality debate at all, you've probably seen Comcast's campaign to rewrite its long history of opposing net neutrality protections. But the company's own statements to Congress, the FCC, and to the courts make Comcast's true goal abundantly clear: free rein to use its market power to become an Internet gatekeeper. Despite their recent public statements in support of the idea of net neutrality, Comcast has repeatedly pushed back on rules that would protect Internet users' ability to do what they want online.

Supreme Court Takes Up Cell Phone Tracking Case (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/supreme-court-will-hear-significant-cell-phone-tracking-case)

The Supreme Court has said it will take up a cell phone tracking case, giving the court the chance to apply Fourth Amendment privacy protections to cell phone location data. The case, United States v. Carpenter, involves long-term, retrospective tracking of a person’s movements using information generated by his cell phone and gives the court an opportunity to continue its recent pattern of applying Fourth Amendment protections to sensitive digital data. It may also limit or even reevaluate the so-called “Third Party Doctrine,” which the government relies on to justify warrantless tracking and surveillance in a variety of contexts. EFF filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to take Carpenter and a related case, so we’re hopeful the Court will rule in favor of strong constitutional protections.

The State Department's Plan to Search Visa Applicants' Social Media Accounts (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/no-state-department-social-media-surveillance)

EFF, the Brennan Center for Justice and others are joining forces to oppose yet another federal program to scrutinize the social media accounts of foreign visitors to the United States. Specifically, in an attempt to uncover would-be terrorists, the U.S. State Department has empowered consular officials to ask visa applicants who raise preliminary suspicions to disclose the existence of the social media accounts, and the identifiers or handles associated with those accounts, that the applicants have used over the past five years. These proposals threaten the digital privacy and freedom of expression of innocent foreign travelers, and the many U.S. citizens who communicate with them.

miniLinks
Continues next post.




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calikid
06-24-2017, 07:40 PM
EFF
Issue #720
June 2017
Continued:

miniLinks

First Amendment Group Criticizes Trump for Twitter Blocking (https://www.seeker.com/tech/trumps-blocking-of-users-on-twitter-sparks-first-amendment-challenge).
The Knight First Amendment Institute has written to President Donald Trump, warning him that his blocking of Twitter users on his @realDonaldTrump account could violate the Constitution's free speech protections.

U.S. Lawmakers Look at WannaCry Attacks (http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/337440-lawmakers-to-hold-hearing-on-wanna-cry-ransomware-attack).
A House committee will hold a hearing this week on the global WannaCry ransomware attacks last month.

'The Long, Lonely Road of Chelsea Manning' (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/magazine/the-long-lonely-road-of-chelsea-manning.html).
Following her recent commutation, The New York Times Magazine profiles Chelsea Manning, including her decision to disclose classified information in 2010 and the resulting time she spent in prison.


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calikid
07-14-2017, 02:42 AM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 721
July 2017

Tell Congress: End Warrantless Spying, Don't Make it Permanent (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/congress-needs-end-warrantless-spying-not-make-it-permanent)

Lawmakers are getting serious about renewing the U.S. government’s Internet spying powers, so we need to get serious about stopping their bad proposals.

Sen. Tom Cotton has introduced legislation that would not just reauthorize, but make permanent the expiring measure that the government says justifies the warrantless surveillance of innocent Americans’ online communications. That measure is Section 702, as enacted by the FISA Amendments Act. Cotton's bill (S. 1297) is supported by several Republicans in the Senate, including Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr and Sens. John Cornyn, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham.

Section 702 surveillance violates the privacy rights of millions of people. This warrantless spying should not be allowed to continue at all, let alone be made permanent as is. Luckily, there’s already opposition to the proposal. Sen. Dianne Feinstein--whose defense of warrantless surveillance has historically been sympathetic to the intelligence community--has said she can not support a bill that makes Section 702 permanent.

Now we need other members of Congress to take the same stand. We cannot let lawmakers ignore our privacy concerns and their own responsibility to review surveillance law, and our lawmakers need to hear that. Sign our petition today and tell Congress to oppose S. 1297 and the permanent reauthorization of Section 702 spying.

Stand Up for Net Neutrality on July 12 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/internet-activate-stand-net-neutrality-july-12)

With net neutrality rules on the line, we need to give the world an idea of what the Internet will look like if the FCC goes forward with its plan to dismantle open Internet protections.

Less than two years after the FCC finally adopted a legally viable Open Internet Order, and less than one year after the courts finally upheld real net neutrality protections, the new FCC Chair, Ajit Pai, has put those protections on the chopping block. If he succeeds, broadband service providers will be free to create Internet fast lanes for those who can afford them--meaning slow lanes for anyone who can’t pay to play, like startups offering innovative services, not to mention libraries, schools, and nonprofits. They will also be free to steer you to the content they choose--often without you knowing it.

We can't let that happen. On July 12, EFF is joining a huge coalition of nonprofits and companies in a day of action to stand up for net neutrality. One simple way that organizations, companies, and even individuals can participate is to install our widget. If you’ve installed the widget on your website, then on July 12, visitors will be greeted with an alarming preview of the Internet without net neutrality protections. This widget will send a clear message to your site’s visitors: giving up protections for net neutrality will give ISPs a frightening amount of control over your Internet experience.

The Supreme Court Decision Saving Small Businesses from Bad Patents
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/saved-alice-how-key-supreme-court-decision-protects-businesses-bad-patents)
Three years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that an abstract idea does not become eligible for a patent simply by being implemented on a generic computer. Since then, the ruling--Alice v. CLS Bank--has provided a lifeline for real businesses threatened or sued with bogus patents.

On the third anniversary of Alice, EFF is launching a new series called Saved by Alice where we’ll collect these stories of times when Alice came to the rescue. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing stories of business owners large and small. These stories all have one thing in common: someone with a patent on an abstract idea sued a small business, and that business could have lost everything. But Alice saved the day.

But now Alice is under attack. A few loud voices in the patent lobby want to amend the law to bring back these stupid patents. It’s time to tell the stories of the individuals and businesses that have been sued or threatened with patents that shouldn’t have been issued in the first place.

EFF Updates

Zillow Threatens Architecture Humor Blog (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/mcmansion-hell-responds-zillows-unfounded-legal-claims)

Real estate site Zillow sent an aggressive cease and desist letter to architecture humor blogger Kate Wagner, demanding that Wagner remove from her website, McMansion Hell, any image originally sourced from Zillow’s site. EFF responded on Wagner's behalf with a letter explaining why none of Zillow’s contentions had merit. Faced with real opposition, Zillow quickly withdrew its threat and said it won't be seeking to take down any of the posts on McMansion Hell. We hope that other companies seeking to shut down humor, criticism, and parody online see this as a cautionary tale and avoid sending threats in the first place.

Antitrust Laws Won't Cut it for Net Neutrality Protections (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/dont-trust-antitrust-law-protect-net-neutrality)

U.S. antitrust law is not up to the challenge of protecting the open Internet and is not an adequate substitute for the FCC's net neutrality rules. Antitrust law is an economic doctrine that gives little if any weight to freedom of expression and other noneconomic values secured by net neutrality. If a practice is not clearly harmful to competition--a definition that is narrower than most people think--it does not matter how much that practice represses speech, distorts access to knowledge, or intrudes on privacy. Nor does antitrust law address the "gatekeeper" problem posed by an ISP's control over your conduit to information. Opponents of net neutrality may say otherwise, but antitrust lawyers can't protect the open Internet. We need Title II, and those who care about net neutrality need to defend it.

When Secret Investigations Aren't So Secret (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/eff-access-now-cdt-and-oti-fight-back-against-secret-search-warrants)

The government should not be allowed to impose gag orders on information that is already publicly known. EFF led a group of civil society organizations in filing a brief in an alarming case pending in federal court that centered around an investigation of private Facebook content earlier this year. Facebook has described the investigation as "known to the public," and the timing and venue match the January 20th, 2017 Presidential Inauguration protests (known as “J20”). Our brief demands that the court apply a stringent constitutional test before enforcing gag orders accompanying a number of secret search warrants. It also argues that the First Amendment rarely, if ever, allows gag orders in such cases, where the government seeks to limit public scrutiny of high-profile and potentially politicized investigations.

Canada's Supreme Court Allows Global Censorship (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/top-canadian-court-permits-worldwide-internet-censorship)

A country has the right to prevent the world’s Internet users from accessing information, according to Canada's highest court. In a decision late last month that has troubling implications for free expression online, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a company’s effort to force Google to de-list entire domains and websites from its search index, effectively making them invisible to everyone using Google’s search engine. The court ignored concerns expressed by EFF and others that forcing Google to globally de-list would expand the power of any court in the world to edit the entire Internet, whether or not the targeted material or site is lawful in another country. Instead, it ruled that because Google was subject to the jurisdiction of Canadian courts by virtue of its operations in Canada, courts in Canada had the authority to order Google to delete search results worldwide.


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calikid
07-14-2017, 02:55 AM
EFF Issue #721 Pg.2

Copyright Offices Leaves Fundamental Flaws in DMCA 1201 Untouched (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/copyright-office-proposes-modest-fixes-dmca-1201-leaves-fundamental-flaws)

The U.S. Copyright Office is passing up the chance to reverse course on an especially restrictive offshoot of copyright law. The Office just released a long-awaited report about Section 1201, the law that blocks everything from video remix, to security research, to repair of electronic devices. The law broadly bans the circumvention of digital restrictions on copyrighted works without adequately preserving the rights you have to use copyrighted works, leading to massive unintended consequences. It takes power from end-users and gives it to manufacturers and publishers to control the use of your computing devices and even hide spyware and security vulnerabilities from you. Despite years of evidence that the social costs of the law far outweigh any benefits, the Copyright Office is mostly happy with the law as it is and commends the 'control' it offers to rightsholders. The Office does recommend that Congress enact some narrow reforms aimed at protecting security research, repair activities, and access for people with disabilities. We’re disappointed the Office didn’t take a stronger stance to rein in a law that has gone far beyond copyright's traditional sweep to the detriment of research, innovation, and speech.

Small ISPs Rally Behind Net Neutrality Rules (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/isps-across-country-tell-chairman-pai-not-repeal-network-neutrality)

As FCC Chairman Ajit Pai tries to dismantle net neutrality protections, often citing alleged harm the rules have caused to ISPs, dozens of small ISPs are coming to the rules' defense. In a recent letter, more than 40 ISPs told the FCC that they have had no problem with the Open Internet Order and that it hasn't hurt their ability to develop and expand their networks. What is more, they want the FCC to do its job and address the problem Congress created when it repealed the broadband privacy rules in March. These ISPs are taking a stand for network neutrality because they know Chairman Pai's plan will hurt them as well as their subscribers.

Still Standing with Diego (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/06/standing-diego)

A few weeks ago, we joined the global open access community in celebrating that Diego Gomez had finally been cleared of criminal charges for sharing scientific research over the Internet without permission. Unfortunately, the fight is not over yet. The ruling has been appealed to the Tribunal de Bogota, a Colombian appellate court. The Karisma Foundation, a Colombian NGO that has been coordinating Diego’s legal defense, has now launched a campaign to raise money for this expensive next step of Diego’s defense. EFF is proud to stand with Karisma and Diego.

miniLinks

Girl Scouts Roll Out Cybersecurity Badges (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/girl-scouts-cybersecurity-badges_us_594b63e0e4b0312cfb6175da)

The Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. are introducing 18 new badges aimed at teaching the organization's young women about cybersecurity threats.

Orange is the New Hack (https://variety.com/2017/digital/features/netflix-orange-is-the-new-black-leak-dark-overlord-larson-studios-1202471400/)

Variety takes a look at how a post-production sound company's data security gaps led to the leak of Netflix hit "Orange is the New Black."

U.S. Voter Data Exposed by Data-Mining Firm (https://theintercept.com/2017/06/19/republican-data-mining-firm-exposed-personal-information-for-virtually-every-american-voter/)

Cybersecurity analysts say a Republican data-mining firm inadvertently made public information about nearly 200 million U.S. voters


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calikid
08-15-2017, 05:42 AM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 722nd
Aug 2017

Who Has Your Back? (https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2017)

While many technology companies continue to step up their privacy game by adopting best practices to protect sensitive customer information when the government demands user data, telecommunications companies are failing to prioritize user privacy when the government comes knocking. Even tech giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Google can do more to fully stand behind their users.

EFF's seventh annual “Who Has Your Back” report digs into the ways many technology companies are getting the message about user privacy in this era of unprecedented digital surveillance.

We evaluated the public policies at 26 companies and awarded stars in five categories, with nine companies earning a perfect five-star score this year: Adobe, Credo, Dropbox, Lyft, Pinterest, Sonic, Uber, Wickr, and Wordpress. Each has a track record of defending user privacy against government overreach and improved on their practices to meet the more stringent standards in this year's Who Has Your Back.

AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile, and Verizon scored the lowest, each earning just one star. While they have adopted a number of industry best practices, like publishing transparency reports and requiring a warrant for content, they still need to commit to informing users before disclosing their data to the government and creating a public policy of requesting judicial review of all National Security Letters.

Tell Congress: We Want Trade Transparency Reform Now! (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/tell-congress-we-want-trade-transparency-reform-now)

The failed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a lesson in what happens when trade agreements are negotiated in secret. Powerful corporations can lobby for dangerous, restrictive measures, and the public can't effectively bring balance to the process. Now, some members of Congress are seeking to make sure that future trade agreements, such as the renegotiated version of NAFTA, are no longer written behind closed doors. We urge you to write your representative and ask them to demand transparency in trade.

Passage of this bill may be the best opportunity that we'll have to avoid a repetition of the closed, secretive process that led to the TPP. With the renegotiation of NAFTA commencing with the first official round of meetings in Washington, D.C. next month, it's urgent that these transparency reforms be adopted soon. You can help by telling your representative in Congress to support the bill in committee.

EFF Updates

Deciphering China's VPN Ban (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/deciphering-chinas-vpn-ban)

Apple removed several Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications that allowed users to circumvent China's extensive Internet censorship apparatus from its Chinese mainland app store. In effect, the company has once again aided the Chinese government in its censorship campaign against its own citizens.

By locking down their devices, Apple can be forced to strip a feature—access to the full, global Internet—from its own products. When the manufacturer controls what kind of software you can have on your devices, it creates a single chokepoint for free expression and privacy.

Internet Censorship Bill Would Spell Disaster for Speech and Innovation (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/internet-censorship-bill-would-spell-disaster-speech-and-innovation)

There's a new bill in Congress that would threaten your right to free expression online.

Don't let its name fool you: the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA, S. 1693) wouldn't help punish sex traffickers. What the bill would do is expose any person, organization, platform, or business that hosts third-party content on the Internet to the risk of overwhelming criminal and civil liability if sex traffickers use their services. For small Internet businesses, that could be fatal: with the possibility of devastating litigation costs hanging over their heads, we think that many entrepreneurs and investors will be deterred from building new businesses online.

Bassel Khartabil, In Memoriam (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/bassel-khartabil-memoriam)

Bassel Khartabil—the Syrian open source developer, blogger, entrepreneur, hackerspace founder, and free culture advocate—has been executed by the Syrian authorities. Noura Ghazi Safadi, his wife, received confirmation of her husband's death by the Assad-led Syrian government this month.

We at EFF are heartbroken at the news of Bassel's unjust and unlawful killing. The single consolation is that Bassel, before and after his detention, inspired so many to join the cause he cared so much about.

Stupid Patent of the Month: HP Patents Reminder Messages
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/stupid-patent-month-hp-patents-reminder-messages)
The Patent Office recently issued a patent to HP on reminder messages. It's yet another example of the Patent Office failing to consider real products when assessing prior art before issuing a patent. Set yourself a reminder message: this stupid patent on reminder messages will expire on December 16, 2035.

Throttling on Mobile Networks May Be a Sign of Things to Come
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/throttling-mobile-networks-sign-things-come-unless-we-save-net-neutrality-now)
Major mobile carriers are slowing down video streams, a net neutrality violation that heralds things to come if they get their way and roll back legal protections against data discrimination.

Right now, these throttling technologies seem to be used to slow down video data generally, rather than to favor the ISP's content over competitors, but that reality may not be far off.

Without net neutrality protections, little will stop carriers from using that same throttling infrastructure to discriminate against competitors, speech they dislike, or your favorite app.

The Pregnancy Panopticon (https://www.eff.org/wp/pregnancy-panopticon)

There are a staggering number of applications for Android and iOS which claim to help people keep track of their monthly cycle, know when they may be fertile, or track the status of their pregnancy. These apps entice the user to input the most intimate details of their lives.

EFF and Gizmodo reporter Kashmir Hill have taken a look at some of the privacy and security properties of nearly twenty different fertility and pregnancy tracking applications.

After uncovering several privacy issues and security flaws, we conclude that while these applications may be useful and engaging, women should carefully consider the privacy and security tradeoffs before deciding to use any of these applications.

Librarians Call on W3C to Rethink its Support for DRM (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/librarians-call-w3c-rethink-its-support-drm)

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has called on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to reconsider its decision to incorporate digital locks (sometimes referred to as digital rights management or simply DRM) into official HTML standards.

The IFLA expressed concern that making it easier to impose tech-based protections against infringement without accommodating "legitimate uses of work" puts librarians and other professionals in legal danger when they come across DRM in the course of their work.

EFF is in the process of appealing W3C's controversial decision, and we're urging the standards body to adopt a covenant protecting security researchers from anti-circumvention laws.

Border Agents May Not Search Travelers’ Cloud Content (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/cbp-responds-sen-wyden-border-agents-may-not-search-travelers-cloud-content)

Border agents may not use travelers' laptops, phones, and other digital devices to access and search cloud content "regardless of whether those servers are located abroad or domestically," according to a new document by U.S. Customs and Border Protection published by NBC on July 12.

Much more must be done to protect travelers' digital privacy at the U.S. border. An excellent first step would be to enact Sen. Wyden's (D-OR) bipartisan bill to require border agents to get a warrant before searching the digital devices of U.S. persons.

Australian PM Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/07/australian-pm-calls-end-end-encryption-ban-says-laws-mathematics-dont-apply-down)
When Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that "[t]he laws of mathematics are very commendable but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia," he was rightly mocked for this nonsense claim.

A ban on end-to-end encrypted messaging in Australia would have no effect on law breakers, who would simply switch to apps that use strong end-to-end encryption. It would instead hurt ordinary citizens who rely on encryption to make sure that their conversations are private.

If enough countries go down the same misguided path, the future could be a new international agreement banning strong encryption. Indeed, the Prime Minister's statement is explicit that this is what he would like to see.

Newsletter continues (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2347) as a webpage.

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.

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calikid
08-25-2017, 03:26 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 723 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2388).
8/25/2017.

Open Access Can’t Wait. Pass FASTR Now. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/open-access-cant-wait-pass-fastr-now)

When you pay for federally funded research, you should be allowed to read it. That’s the idea behind the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (S.1701, H.R.3427), which was recently reintroduced in both houses of Congress.

Under FASTR, every federal agency that spends more than $100 million on grants for research would be required to adopt an open access policy. The bill gives each agency flexibility to implement an open access policy suited to the work it funds, so long as research is available to the public after an "embargo period" of a year or less.

Part of what's important about open access is that it democratizes knowledge: when research is available to the public, you don't need expensive journal subscriptions or paid access to academic databases in order to read it.

FASTR is a huge step in the right direction and can be used as a foundation for stronger open access in the future.
.
Fighting Neo-Nazis and the Future of Free Expression. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/fighting-neo-nazis-future-free-expression)

On the Internet, any tactic used now to silence neo-Nazis will soon be used against others, including people whose opinions we agree with.

For any content hosts that do reject content as part of the enforcement of their terms of service, or are pressured by states to secretly censor, we have long recommended that they implement procedural protections to mitigate mistakes—specifically, the Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability.

In GoDaddy and Google's eagerness to distance themselves from American neo-Nazis, no process was followed. Policies give guidance as to what we might expect, and an opportunity to see justice is done. We should think carefully before throwing them away.

EFF Updates.

DOJ Backs Down From Overbroad J20 Warrant. But Problems Still Remain. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/doj-backs-down-overbroad-j20-warrant-problems-still-remain).

The government has backed down significantly in its fight with DreamHost about information related to the J20 protests. Late on Tuesday, DOJ filed a reply in its much publicized attempt to get the hosting provider to turn over a large amount of data about a website it was hosting, disruptj20.org—a site that was dedicated to organizing and planning protests in Washington, D.C. on the day of President Trump's inauguration.

In the brief, DOJ substantially reduces the amount of information it is seeking, including some of the most obvious examples of overreach.

2017 Pioneer Award Winners Named. (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/whistleblower-chelsea-manning-techdirt-founder-mike-masnick-and-free-expression)

EFF announced recently that whistleblower and activist Chelsea Manning, Techdirt editor and open internet advocate Mike Masnick, and IFEX executive director and global freedom of expression defender Annie Game are the distinguished winners of the 2017 Pioneer Awards, which recognize leaders who are extending freedom and innovation on the electronic frontier.

The award ceremony will be held on September 14 in San Francisco. The keynote speaker is Emmy-nominated comedy writer Ashley Nicole Black, a correspondent on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee who uses her unique comedic style to take on government surveillance, encryption, and freedom of information.

Thai Activist Jailed for the Crime of Sharing an Article on Facebook. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/thai-activist-jailed-crime-sharing-article-facebook)

Thai activist Jatuphat "Pai" Boonpattaraksa was sentenced recently to two and a half years in prison—for the crime of sharing a BBC article on Facebook. The Thai-language article profiled Thailand's new king and, while thousands of users shared it, only Jutaphat was found to violate Thailand's strict lese majeste laws against insulting, defaming, or threatening the monarchy.

Jatupat's case is only the latest in the Thai government's increasingly repressive and arbitrary attempts to chill expression online and censor content critical of the state.

Congress is at Home, So Pay Your Members a Visit. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/congress-home-so-pay-your-members-visit)

Members of Congress go back to their home districts in August. Constituents can request meetings with them during this time by contacting their local congressional offices. If you do so with a few local allies, you'll likely be able to meet with staffers and perhaps even your member of Congress directly.

With so many issues vital to digital rights looming in the congressional calendar, this August is a critical time for Internet users to pressure Congress to do the right thing on mass surveillance, net neutrality, and rules that insulate platforms for liability based on content written by users.

How Captive Portals Interfere With Wireless Security and Privacy. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/how-captive-portals-interfere-wireless-security-and-privacy).

If you have ever wanted to use the wireless Internet at a coffee shop or library, you have probably had to click through a Terms of Service screen with an "I agree" button to do it. These kinds of screens are called captive portals, and they interfere with wireless security without providing many user benefits.

HTTPS sites trigger false-positive "untrusted connection" warnings that train users to ignore them completely, and the presence of a log-in window may lead users to inaccurately believe that wireless networks with captive portals are safer than those without.

For most networks, captive portals don't provide access benefits, they only make users less safe.

EFF’s 2016 Annual Report. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/effs-2016-annual-report).

At EFF, we keep very busy. Our past is invariably tangled with the present—long-running court cases that stretch on for years, and hard-won battles that it turns out we have to re-visit. Our 2016 Annual Report includes reflections from several EFF staff members on the work we do, and why we do it. In looking back, we look forward with fresh resolve. We hope you will, too.

EFF Wins Court Ruling Upholding Invalidation of Bad Patent That Threatened Podcasters. (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-court-ruling-upholding-invalidation-bad-patent-threatened-podcasters)
EFF won a court ruling this month affirming that an infamous podcasting patent used by a patent troll to threaten podcasters big and small was properly held invalid by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

A unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will, for now, keep podcasting safe from this patent.

miniLinks.

YouTube's Crackdown on Extremist Content and ISIS is Also Hurting Researchers and Journalists. (http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-crackdown-terrorist-extremist-isis-content-hurting-journalists-researchers-2017-8).

Content censorship on YouTube interferes with the work of professionals trying to document abuses. (Business Insider)

Building America's Trust Act Would Amp Up Privacy Concerns at the Border. (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/gop-senators-border-wish-list-drones-dna-collection-voice-scans-and-more/).

A bill calling for increased use of surveillance technology at U.S. borders elicits concern from privacy advocates. (ArsTechnica)

Palestinian Leader Curbs Social Media Expression in Decree.
(https://www.apnews.com/8ac88c8b87c047c28565bf31cfe2ebee/Palestinian-leader-curbs-social-media-expression-in-decree).
The Palestinian president imperils free speech in a cryptic mandate. (AP News)


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calikid
10-02-2017, 06:44 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 724 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2388).
9/15/2017.


Defend Our Online Communities: Stop SESTA (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/defend-our-online-communities-stop-sesta)

A new bill is working its way through Congress that could be disastrous for free speech online. EFF is proud to be part of the coalition fighting back.

The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) would weaken 47 U.S.C. 230 (commonly known as "CDA 230" or simply "Section 230"), which protects Internet intermediaries—individuals, companies, and organizations that provide a platform for others to share speech and content over the Internet. This includes social networks like Facebook, video platforms like YouTube, news sites, blogs, and other websites that allow comments.

SESTA would shift more blame for users' speech to the web platforms themselves, which would likely spur web communities to become much more restrictive in how they patrol and monitor users' contributions.

EFF, ACLU Sue Over Warrantless Phone, Laptop Searches at U.S. Border (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-aclu-media-conference-call-today-announce-lawsuit-over-warrantless-phone-and)

EFF and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Department of Homeland Security this week on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without warrants at the U.S. border.

The lawsuit challenges the government's fast-growing practice of searching travelers' electronic devices without a warrant, and seeks to establish that the government must have a warrant based on probable cause to suspect a violation of immigration or customs laws before conducting such searches.

EFF Updates

We're Asking the Copyright Office to Protect Your Right to Remix, Study, and Tinker (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/once-again-were-asking-copyright-office-protect-your-right-fix-study-secure-remix)

EFF has filed new petitions with the Copyright Office to give those in the United States protection against legal threats when you take control of your devices and media. We're also seeking broader, better protection for security researchers and video creators against threats from Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

DMCA 1201, an unconstitutional law, bans "circumvention" of access controls on copyrighted works—including software—and bans making or distributing tools that circumvent such digital locks. In effect, it lets hardware and software makers, along with major entertainment companies, control how your digital devices are allowed to function and how you can use digital media. It also creates legal risks for security researchers, repair shops, artists, and technology users.

With iOS 11, More Options to Disable Touch ID Means Better Security (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/ios-11-more-options-disable-touch-id-means-better-security)

Prior to the public release, some vigilant Twitter users using the iOS 11 public beta discovered a new way to quickly disable Touch ID by just tapping the power button five times, an improvement on previously known and relatively clunky methods for disabling Touch ID.

This is good news for users, particularly those who may be in unpredictable situations with physical security concerns that change over time. We call on other manufacturers to follow Apple's lead and implement this kind of design in their own devices.

Judge Cracks Down on LinkedIn’s Shameful Abuse of Computer Break-In Law (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/judge-cracks-down-linkedins-shameful-abuse-computer-break-law)

A judge recently issued an early ruling against LinkedIn's abuse of the notorious Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to block a competing service from perfectly legal uses of publicly available data on its website. LinkedIn's behavior is just the sort of bad development we expected after the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit delivered two dangerously expansive interpretations of the CFAA's ban on "unauthorized access."

We're asking the Supreme Court to step in and provide a clear, unequivocal ruling that using a computer in a way that violates corporate policies, preferences, and expectations cannot be grounds for a CFAA violation.

India’s Supreme Court Upholds Right to Privacy as a Fundamental Right (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/indias-supreme-court-upholds-right-privacy-fundamental-right-and-its-about-time)

A recent judgment by the Supreme Court of India endorsed the right to privacy as a fundamental right. Arising from a challenge to India's biometric identity scheme Aadhaar, the judgment clarifies that privacy is intrinsic to human dignity and liberty.

The judgment calls for the government to create a data protection regime that balances safeguarding the privacy of the individual and the legitimate concerns of the state.

Will TPP-11 Nations Escape the Copyright Trap? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/will-tpp-11-nations-escape-copyright-trap-1)

Latest reports confirm that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being revived. The agreement had been shelved following the withdrawal of the U.S. from the negotiation process, but those eager to keep the pact alive have rallied support to move forward with the agreement.

A recent statement by New Zealand's Prime Minister suggests that countries favor an approach that seeks to replicate TPP provisions with minimal number of changes. Avoiding renegotiation or opening up of TPP will lead to enactment of its flawed and untested provisions—including the copyright term extension—with far-reaching ramifications on innovation, creativity and culture.

miniLinks

AI Will Soon Identify Protesters With Their Faces Partly Concealed (Motherboard) (https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mbby88/ai-will-soon-identify-protesters-with-their-faces-partly-concealed)

Researchers are quickly figuring out how to identify obscured faces, and governments are quickly figuring out how to exploit that.

Virginia Bars Voting Machines Considered Top Hacking Target (Politico) (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/08/virginia-election-machines-hacking-target-242492)

In an effort to prevent election tampering, Virginia will not use touchscreen voting machines for November’s gubernatorial vote.



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calikid
10-06-2017, 09:32 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Issue 725 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2455).
10/6/2017.


No Airport Biometric Surveillance (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2455)

Facial recognition, fingerprinting, and retina scans—the government could extract all of these and more from travelers at checkpoints throughout domestic airports.

The TSA Modernization Act (S. 1872) would authorize the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deploy "biometric technology to identify passengers" throughout our nation's airports, including at "checkpoints, screening lanes, [and] bag drop and boarding areas."

Today, CBP is subjecting travelers on certain outgoing international flights to facial recognition screening. The bill would expand biometric screening to domestic flights as well, and would increase the frequency that a traveler is subjected to biometric screening (not just once per trip).

EFF opposes S. 1872 as well as similarly invasive data collection bills S. 1757 and H.R. 3548., both of which target U.S. borders.

Phish for the Future (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/phish-future)

"Phish for the Future", an advanced persistent spearphishing campaign targeting digital civil liberties activists at Free Press and Fight for the Future, appears to have been aimed at stealing credentials for various business services including Google, Dropbox, and LinkedIn. We were unable to determine what the secondary goal of the campaign was after the credentials were stolen. The attackers were remarkably persistent, switching up their attacks after each failed attempt and becoming increasingly creative with their targeting over time.

Although this phishing campaign does not appear to have been carried out by a nation-state actor and does not involve malware, it serves as an important reminder that civil society is under attack.

It is our recommended best practice to secure all accounts with two-factor authentication so that trusted compromised accounts can't be used in the service of more effective spearphishing attacks.

EFF Updates

No Justification for Spanish Internet Censorship During Catalonian Referendum (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/no-justification-spanish-internet-censorship-during-catalonian-referendum)

The Spanish government censored the Internet with ruthless efficiency before and during the referendum vote on Catalonian independence on October 1.

Examples of overreach include a censorship order blocking current and future referendum-related content publicized on any social network by a member of the Catalonian Government, as well as a court order requiring Google to remove a voting app from the Google Play app store. On the day of the referendum itself, the Internet was shut down at polling places.

The Spanish government's censorship of online speech during the Catalonian referendum period is wildly disproportionate and overbroad.

Will the Equifax Data Breach Finally Spur the Courts to Recognize Data Harms? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/will-equifax-data-breach-finally-spur-courts-and-lawmakers-recognize-data-harms)

This summer 143 million Americans had their most sensitive information breached from Equifax's database. Misuse of this data can lead to financial devastation or, if a criminal uses stolen information to commit fraud, can lead to the breach victim being arrested and prosecuted.

Courts, too narrowly focused on financial losses directly traceable to a breach, too often dismiss lawsuits based on a cramped view of what constitutes "harm." So far, the federal bills being floated in response to the Equifax breach and earlier breaches do not remove the obstacles to victims bringing legal claims.

Google Will Survive SESTA. Your Startup May Not. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/google-will-survive-sesta-your-startup-might-not)

In response to the suggestion that members of Congress should consider how SESTA might affect small Internet startups, not just giant companies like Google and Facebook, Sen. Richard Blumenthal's (D-CT) response was "I believe that those outliers—and they are outliers—will be successfully prosecuted, civilly and criminally under this law."

In that unusual moment of candor, Sen. Blumenthal seemed to lay bare his opinions about Internet startups—he thinks of them as unimportant outliers and would prefer that the new law put them out of business.

Internet startups would take the much greater hit from SESTA than large Internet firms would, but ultimately, those most impacted would be users themselves.

Apple Does Right By Users and Advertisers Are Displeased (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/apple-does-right-users-wrong-advertisers)

With the new Safari 11 update, Apple addresses how your browsing habits are tracked and shared with parties other than the sites you visit. In response, Apple is getting criticized by the advertising industry for "destroying the Internet's economic model."

Safari has been blocking third-party cookies by default since releasing Safari 5.1 in 2010. The new Safari update, with Intelligent Tracking Prevention, closes loopholes around third-party cookie-blocking by using machine learning to distinguish the sites a user has a relationship with from those they don't, and treating the cookies differently based on that.

Azure Confidential Computing Heralds the Next Generation of Encryption in the Cloud (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/azure-confidential-computing-heralds-next-generation-encryption-cloud)

The new gold standard for cloud application encryption will soon be the cloud provider never having access to the user's data—not even while performing computations on it.

Microsoft has become the first major cloud provider to offer developers the ability to build their applications on top of Intel's Software Guard Extensions (SGX) technology, making Azure "the first SGX-capable servers in the public cloud." Azure customers in Microsoft's Early Access program can now begin to develop applications with the "confidential computing" technology.

The underlying technology is not yet perfect, but it's efficient enough for practical usage, stops whole classes of attacks, and is available today. Secure enclaves have the potential to be a new frontier in offering users privacy in the cloud.

miniLinks

First Open-Access Data From Large Collider Confirm Subatomic Particle Patterns (https://phys.org/news/2017-09-open-access-large-collider-subatomic-particle.html)

For the first time, independent physics researchers have uncovered a new method to explain particle behavior using publicly-available data. (Phys.org)

Challenge to Data Transfer Tool Used by Facebook Will Go to Europe’s Top Court (https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/03/challenge-to-data-transfer-tool-used-by-facebook-will-go-to-europes-top-court/)

Due to concerns over the U.S. government's mass surveillance programs, the European Court of Justice is now tasked with determining if EU citizens' privacy rights are sufficiently protected during Facebook data transfers. (TechCrunch)


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calikid
11-17-2017, 06:45 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 726 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2538).
Nov 17, 2017.


House Judiciary Committee Forced Into Difficult Compromise on Surveillance Reform (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/house-judiciary-committee-forced-difficult-compromise-surveillance-reform).

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved the USA Liberty Act, a surveillance reform package introduced last month. The bill is seen by many as the best option for reauthorizing and reforming Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which is set to expire in less than two months.

Some committee members described feeling forced to choose between supporting stronger surveillance reforms or advancing the Liberty Act, and voiced their frustration about provisions that only partly block the warrantless search of Americans’ communications when an amendment with broader surveillance reforms was available. Complicating their deliberations was the fact that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has already reported out a bill with far fewer surveillance protections.

EFF Updates.

TSA Plans to Use Face Recognition to Track Americans Through Airports (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/tsa-plans-use-face-recognition-track-americans-through-airports).

The “PreCheck” program is billed as a convenient service to allow U.S. travelers to “speed through security” at airports. However, the latest proposal released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reveals the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) greater underlying plan to collect face images and iris scans on a nationwide scale. DHS’s programs will become a massive violation of privacy that could serve as a gateway to the collection of biometric data to identify and track every traveler at every airport and border crossing in the country.

Here’s How Congress Should Respond to the Equifax Breach (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/heres-how-congress-should-respond-equifax-breach)

In the wake of Equifax's massive breach of 145.5-million Americans' most sensitive information, EFF has some suggestions for Congress to ensure that victims of data breaches like these are compensated fairly when a company is negligent with their sensitive data.

Congress needs to empower an expert agency like the FTC with rule-making authority to set security standards and enforce them. Congress should not preempt state data breach laws, but should establish that credit bureaus have a fiduciary duty to protect our data. People impacted by breaches should have an unwaiveable right to sue companies that are negligent with sensitive data.

Verizon Asks the Federal Communications Commission to Prohibit States from Protecting User Privacy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/verizon-asks-federal-communications-commission-prohibit-states-protecting-user).

After lobbying Congress to repeal consumer privacy protections over ISPs, Verizon wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do it a favor and preempt states from restoring their privacy rights. After Congress repealed the FCC's previous privacy rule, dozens of state bills were introduced to restore broadband privacy.

It would be unwise for the FCC to attempt to block consumer privacy protections at Verizon's behest, and it would be on shaky legal footing if it tried to do so.

U.S. Federal Court Rejects Global Search Order (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/us-federal-court-rejects-global-search-order).

Does Google U.S. have to obey a Canadian court order requiring Google to take down information around the world, ignoring contrary rules in other jurisdictions? According to the Northern District of California in Google v. Equustek, the answer is no.

A court in one country has no business issuing a decision affecting the rights of citizens around the world. The Canadian order set a dangerous precedent that would be followed by others, creating a race to the bottom as courts in countries with far weaker speech protections would feel empowered to effectively edit the Internet.

Do Not Track Implementation Guide Launched (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/do-not-track-implementation-guide-launched).

We recently released the implementation guide for EFF's Do Not Track (DNT) policy. For years users have been able to set a Do Not Track signal in their browser, but there has been little guidance for websites as to how to honor that request. EFF's DNT policy sets out a meaningful response for servers to follow, and the guide provides details about how to apply it in practice.

The guide exists as a Git repository and will evolve. We want your contributions and invite you to use it as a space to share advice on web privacy engineering. If you have suggestions for other DNT-compliant service providers, please submit them.

The guide: https://github.com/EFForg/dnt-guide.

DDoS Guide Relaunch: Keep Your Site Safe from Zombie Attacks (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/ddos-guide-relaunch-halloween-keep-your-site-safe-zombie-attacks).

Keeping Your Site Alive, our guide for keeping your site online amidst a DoS (denial of service) or DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack, now has a new look and new advice. The guide, originally created and updated in conjunction with the Tactical Technology Collective, is aimed at human rights defenders, independent publications, and other administrators of small websites.

The guide: https://www.eff.org/keeping-your-site-alive/.

Epson is Using its eBay “Trusted Status” to Make Competing Ink Sellers Vanish (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/epson-using-its-ebay-trusted-status-make-competing-ink-sellers-vanish).

Epson claims that generic ink cartridges that are compatible with its printers violate a nonspecific patent in nonspecific ways. Because Epson is part of eBay's VeRo program, through which trusted vendors can have listings removed without anyone checking the validity of the claim, eBay removed many third-party ink sellers' products without any further scrutiny.

The Open Rights Group—whose analysis shows that Epson is acting to hurt the resale market, not to assert patents against the manufacturers that are their competitors—have asked the UK Intellectual Property Office to investigate Epson's business practices.

miniLinks.

Comcast Asks the FCC to Prohibit States from Enforcing Net Neutrality (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/comcast-asks-the-fcc-to-prohibit-states-from-enforcing-net-neutrality/).

Comcast wants FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to block states from enacting their own net neutrality rules. (Ars Technica)

India Begins to Embrace Digital Privacy (http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/11/india_begins_to_embrace_digital_privacy.html).

In response to the recent ruling in India that privacy is a fundamental right, tech companies must now shift to more responsible and accountable data collection and retention methods, which Indian courts will enforce through yet-to-be-written data protection laws. (Slate).


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calikid
12-04-2017, 03:15 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 727 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2567).
Dec. 1, 2017.


A Lump of Coal in the Internet’s Stocking: FCC Poised to Gut Net Neutrality Rules (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/lump-coal-internets-stocking-fcc-poised-gut-net-neutrality-rules)

Before the Thanksgiving weekend, the Federal Communications Commission released a plan to gut net neutrality protections. The plan will eliminate the rules that prevent major ISPs from blocking and throttling Internet traffic and setting up pay-to-play structures. In place of those protections, the FCC proposed a mere transparency requirement, allowing ISPs to impose non-neutral practices, as long as they are open about it.

These changes will upend the Internet as we have come to learn, use, and inhabit it. For years, the Internet operated as an equal playing field for major companies, small business owners, hobbyists and anyone else who simply wanted to start or use a website. By removing these rules, the FCC will allow ISPs to enact "fast lanes" on the Internet, where certain websites can be favored over others. One way companies could access those fast lanes is simple: pay more.

Under the new rules, companies that have the most money could pay their way into having their content delivered more quickly. Startups, and smaller websites or apps, will be at a disadvantage.

The best way to help protect the open web is to call and contact your representatives. If you want, you can also take part in various, country-wide events planned for December 7. Help today: speak up.

EFF Updates
Power-Up Campaign (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/power-2017-s)

For a limited time, all donations made to EFF as part of its Power-Up Your Donation campaign will be matched! That means, simply, when you donate $1, EFF receives $2. Donate $2? That becomes $4. And donate $100? Well, okay, you get the idea.

But this double-donation duration only lasts until EFF receives $203,137. We have until December 5 to meet that goal. Every donation helps our organization build privacy-enhancing tools, stop illegal government surveillance, fight censorship, protect the open web, and more.

Who Has Your Back in Colombia? Karisma's Report Shows Progress (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/donde-estan-mis-datos-en-colombia-nuestro-tercer-informe-anual-muestra-el-progreso)

Working in cooperation with EFF, Fundación Karisma released its third annual ¿Dónde Estan Mis Datos? Report, the Columbian parallel to EFF's Who Has Your Back? The report, which shows some progress in companies that are standing up for their users, is more thorough in its evaluation than years prior. Fundación Karisma reviewed mobile and fixed ISPs on their data practices, as well as corporate policies for gender equality and accessibility, public data breach responses, and HTTPS use.

Why We’re Helping The Stranger Unseal Electronic Surveillance Records (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/effs-newest-case-unsealing-court-records-washington-federal-court)

EFF is representing the Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper The Stranger to better understand what the government requests from technology companies when seeking user data, and under what legal authorities those requests allegedly apply. The Seattle-based newspaper has petitioned a local, federal court to unseal government requests for electronic surveillance made to some of the region's largest companies, like Amazon and Microsoft.

EFF’s Street-Level Surveillance Project Dissects Police Technology (https://www.eff.org/issues/street-level-surveillance)

EFF is proud to announce the latest update to its Street-Level Surveillance project. The latest update includes information and documentation about invasive forms of police surveillance, including automated license plate readers, body-worn cameras, cell-site simulators, drones, and face recognition. These pieces of technology can be found almost everywhere today—on street lamps, on highway overpasses, in cop cars, and in the sky. Learn about who is collecting your data, what they're using it for, and how EFF is fighting it.

Panopticlick 3.0 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/panopticlick-30)

EFF released a new version of Panopticlick, a website we developed to help users understand what their Internet browsers know about them. The update includes a test for "Acceptable Ads," an initiative led by Adblock Plus and Adblock to better define non-invasive advertisements. This update led to a retooled privacy policy for Panopticlick. For more information about the updated policy, visit https://panopticlick.eff.org/privacy

Announcing the Security Education Companion (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/announcing-security-education-companion)

EFF launched its Security Education Companion-a set of tools, training manuals and instructions for people who want to teach their communities about digital privacy and security. These resources can empower people to better teach and train some of the trickier, more nuanced topics in cybersecurity, including password creation and management, end-to-end encrypted communications, social media protection, and private Internet browsing.

Court Rules That EFF’s Stupid Patent of the Month Award Is Protected Speech (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/court-rules-effs-stupid-patent-month-post-protected-speech)

A federal judge decided that EFF did not need to follow an Australian injunction that ordered us to take down a "Stupid Patent of the Month" blog post. The injunction also barred EFF from speaking about the patent owner's intellectual property ever again. The patent owner, Global Equity Management (SA) Pty Ltd, alleged that EFF published "false and malicious slander." EFF countersued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, arguing that the post is protected speech. The court agreed. The post remains.

NSA Internet Surveillance Under Section 702 Violates the First Amendment (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/nsa-internet-surveillance-under-section-702-violates-first-amendment)

Often, constitutional arguments against Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act focus on the Fourth Amendment-the right to freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. But the First Amendment plays an equally important role. In its broadness, NSA surveillance chills speech, assembly, and association.

miniLinks

The NSA Caught a Navy Officer Illegally Attempting to Search an American’s Phone
(https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/nsa-caught-navy-officer-illegally-trying-to-pry-into?utm_term=.jvzbPYxab#.ll47EP197)
The potential security lapse begs the question: How many other times have NSA agents and contractors misused powerful government spying tools for personal reasons? (Buzzfeed)

Most Recent Mac OS Has Enormous Security Flaw (https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-flaw-allows-macos-high-sierra-logins-without-passwords/)

Users found a glaring security problem in MacOS High Sierra, allowing anyone to log into a High Sierra device without needing a password. Apple has since fixed the problem. (CNET)

New Orleans Installs 24/7 Surveillance Center (http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/crime_police/article_d0288312-cee1-11e7-af0a-8769895f8988.html)

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu revealed a high-tech office designed to collect information from surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers located throughout the city. (The New Orleans Advocate)

Brooklyn Judge Rules that Police Need Warrants to Track Suspects’ Cellphones (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/nyregion/brooklyn-judge-stingray-cellphone-tracking.html?_r=0)

Protecting and serving should include identifying and patching vulnerabilities in our infrastructure. Not exploiting them. (The New York Times)

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calikid
02-09-2018, 08:44 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 728 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2652)
Jan 30, 2018


An Open Letter to Our Community on Congress’ Vote to Extend NSA Spying (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/open-letter-our-community-congresss-vote-extend-nsa-spying-eff-executive-director)

The Senate has approved a terrible bill to extend Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act—one of the NSA’s most invasive surveillance tools. This vote dealt a significant blow to Americans' Fourth Amendment rights to privacy, and allows for continued, opaque surveillance that hurts Americans and non-U.S. persons abroad for another six years.

But this fight is far from over. The failure in Congress amplifies the importance of EFF's continued fight against broad, unconstitutional surveillance that is taking place in the courts. Our signature litigation against mass surveillance, Jewel v. NSA, has survived multiple challenges and delays by the government, and the court has scheduled additional document delivery in our favor as early as mid-February.
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Team Internet Is Far From Done: What’s Next For Net Neutrality and How You Can Help (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/12/team-internet-far-done-whats-next-net-neutrality-and-how-you-can-help)

The Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality protections in late November 2017, neglecting the law, the facts, and the voices of millions of Americans.

Still, we fight. In the coming months, we have several paths towards a better tomorrow. By utilizing the Congressional Review Act, we can continue to put pressure on Congress before the FCC's vote is written into law. In court, multiple public interest groups, state attorneys general, and Congress members are preparing legal challenges against the FCC because of the way it flouted rulemaking procedure. And on a state-by-state basis, politicians and lawmakers are already considering legislation that would require net neutrality.
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EFF Updates

Dark Caracal: Good News and Bad News (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/dark-caracal-good-news-and-bad-news)

EFF, together with Lookout, uncovered a previously undetected global malware espionage campaign with possible involvement from a foreign government. In a joint report, we detail how attackers used malicious, fake apps to impersonate popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal.

The legitimate messaging apps that people use and trust—like Signal and WhatsApp—have not been compromised in any way. Instead, attackers found ways to duplicate these apps and release fake versions of them on the Android mobile platform.

While many were unaffected by this attack, the attack itself—and how it was distributed online—is a new development in state-sponsored surveillance and malware.
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EFF and ACLU Ask Court to Allow Legal Challenge to Proceed Against Warrantless Searches of Travelers’ Smartphones, Laptops (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-and-aclu-ask-court-allow-legal-challenge-proceed-against-warrantless-searches)
EFF and the ACLU filed a legal brief urging a federal judge to hear a lawsuit that involves Fourth Amendment protections for a group of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched—without warrants—at the U.S. border.

The case, Alasaad v. Nielsen, asks the court to make a decision on whether government agents need warrants before searching electronic devices.

EFF and ACLU filed the brief in support of the 11 plaintiffs, who are journalists, students, an artist, a NASA engineer, a business owner and a military veteran.
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EFF Supports Stricter Requirements for DNA Collection From Minors (https://www.eff.org/eff-supports-stricter-requirements-dna-collection-minors)

A new California bill would require cops to obtain judicial approval or parental consent before collecting children's DNA. EFF strongly supports this legislation.

Current California law includes a massive loophole that allows law enforcement to collect children's DNA in many circumstances so long as that DNA data is not stored in any statewide or federal databases. Should local law enforcement choose to collect children's DNA and store it only within their own database, there are few rules to stop them.

The new bill, A.B. 1584, would impose the proper restrictions on local law enforcement and help strengthen privacy protections for California's children.
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How to Assess a Vendor’s Data Security (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/how-assess-vendors-data-security)

When your company needs a new piece of software—like a tool that scans and sends sensitive documents, or a program that compiles confidential client information—making a decision can be tough. We have several questions you can ask that will help steer you towards the right products, helping you—and your business—maintain digital privacy and security.
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California Police Chiefs Misrepresent License Plate Privacy Bill (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/california-police-chiefs-misrepresent-license-plate-privacy-bill)

A California bill that would protect individual privacy is being attacked by state police chiefs who are misrepresenting what the bill does. The bill—S.B. 712—would allow Californians to cover their cars' license plates while their vehicles are parked. Contrary to what state police chiefs say, allowing this practice would not impede Amber Alert investigations or help criminals get away from the police.

Instead, S.B. 712 would protect Californians from known, invasive surveillance practices, which have included the collection of license plate numbers parked at mosques, gay night clubs, and reproductive health centers.
.
Europe’s GDPR Meets WHOIS Privacy: Which Way Forward (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/europes-gdpr-will-force-icann-improve-whois-privacy)

As Europe prepares its General Data Protection Regulation ruleset, the authority on online domain name registrations is grappling with what its own rules will look like in the future.

Under current practice, ICANN—which oversees website registration information—requires personal information to be listed on publicly accessible sites called WHOIS directories. This flouts some of the privacy restrictions in Europe's GDPR. Before ICANN comes fully up to speed with GDPR compliance, it has issued three interim solutions. While not perfect, EFF supports at least a variation of one of these solutions.
.
miniLinks
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Software developers blunder into a misunderstanding of sexual consent… and blockchain (https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/paqvn7/dont-****-anybody-who-wants-to-get-your-consent-uploaded-to-the-blockchain-legalfling-app)

A new app asks people to consent to sex with one another by using blockchain technology. (Motherboard)
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Apple is “selling out” to the Communist party in China (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/opinion/apple-china-data.html)

The New York Times writes about Apple's decision to deliver enormous volumes of personal data to the "largest, and one of the harshest, authoritarian regimes in the world: the Communist government in China." (The New York Times)
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The NSA may claim its collection of Americans’ emails is “incidental,” but the scope is enormous (https://www.justsecurity.org/51272/stop-calling-incidental-collection-americans-emails-govts-renewed-surveillance-powers/).

Despite what the NSA says, Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act is used to sweep up countless Americans' electronic communications. (Just Security)
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Mapping digital rights violations in Palestine (http://7amleh.org/2018/01/22/7amleh-publishes-innovative-research-on-internet-freedoms-in-palestine-mapping-of-digital-rights-violations-and-threats/)

A new paper from advocacy organization 7amleh analyzes digital rights violations and threats to Palestinians from their own government. The report also details threats from non-government actors.
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Filipino bloggers organize for the right to free expression

59 bloggers in the Philippines have issued a manifesto for free speech in the wake of attempts by the government to shut down news site Rappler for criticizing the president. (Rappler)


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calikid
02-25-2018, 02:08 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 729 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2704)
Feb 20, 2018


Don't Let Congress Censor the Internet (https://act.eff.org/action/stop-fosta)
The House of Representatives is about to vote on a bill that would force online platforms to censor their users. The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) might sound noble, but it would do nothing to stop sex traffickers. What it would do is force online platforms to police their users’ speech more forcefully than ever before, silencing legitimate voices in the process.

EFF has been opposed to a similar bill called the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). A new amendment is about to combine the worst elements of SESTA and FOSTA into a monster of a bill that would be a disaster for Internet intermediaries, marginalized communities, and even trafficking victims themselves.

If you don’t want Congress to undermine the online communities we all rely on, please take a moment to call your representative and urge them to oppose FOSTA.

John Perry Barlow, Internet Pioneer, 1947-2018 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/john-perry-barlow-internet-pioneer-1947-2018)
With a broken heart, EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn announced the passing of EFF Founder John Perry Barlow the morning of February 7th. Barlow was a visionary whose leadership allowed for the developments and proliferation of significant parts of the Internet we all know and love today.

Barlow saw the Internet as a fundamental place for freedom, amplifying voices and allowing each of us to connect with others regardless of physical distance.

We will continue to work toward the realization of John Perry Barlow’s mission of making the Internet into “a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth… a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.”

Law Enforcement Use of Face Recognition Systems Threatens Civil Liberties (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/law-enforcement-use-face-recognition-systems-threatens-civil-liberties)
Law enforcement use of face recognition is increasing rapidly. Surveillance cameras boast real-time face scanning and identification capabilities; and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have access to hundreds of millions of images of law-abiding Americans.

As more agencies adopt body-worn cameras, many in the law enforcement community hope to use these tools to identify people in the dark, match a person to a police sketch, or even construct an image of a person’s face from a sample of their DNA.

In Face Off, EFF’s recently released report on law enforcement use of face recognition technology, Senior Staff Attorney Jennifer Lynch notes, “People should not have to worry that they may be falsely accused of a crime because an algorithm mistakenly matched their photo to a suspect. They shouldn’t have to worry that their data will end up in the hands of identity thieves because face recognition databases were breached. They shouldn’t have to fear that their every move will be tracked if face recognition is linked to the networks of surveillance cameras that blanket many cities.”

Legislation is needed to place meaningful checks on government use of face recognition, including rules limiting retention and sharing, requiring notification when face prints are collected, ensuring robust security procedures to prevent data breaches, and establishing legal processes governing when law enforcement may collect face images from the public without their knowledge.

EFF Updates

EFF and MuckRock Are Filing a Thousand Public Records Requests About ALPR Data Sharing (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/eff-and-muckrock-are-filing-thousand-public-records-requests-alpr-data-sharing)

In a campaign to reveal how much data law enforcement agencies have collected using automated license plate readers (ALPRs), EFF and Muckrock are filing approximately 1,000 public records requests with agencies that have deals with Vigilant Solutions, one of the nation’s largest vendors of ALPR surveillance technology and software services.

The Catalog of Missing Devices (https://www.eff.org/missing-devices)

Thanks to the chilling effects of an obscure copyright law—Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act—there’s a whole catalog of devices that are missing from our world. It’s often hard to notice what isn’t there, but we’re aiming to fix that through a little design fiction we call “The Catalog of Missing Devices.”

The False Teeth of Chrome’s Ad Filter (https://www.eff.org/the-false-teeth-of-chromes-ad-filter)

Google launched a new version of its Chrome browser with what it calls an “ad filter,” which means that it sometimes blocks ads but is not an “ad blocker.” While the filter is intended to dissuade aggressive ad formats, the problem has other dimensions. Whether it’s the use of ads as a vector for malware, the consumption of mobile data plans by bloated ads, or the monitoring of user behavior through tracking technologies, users have a lot of reasons to take action and defend themselves. But these elements are ignored.

Court Dismisses Playboy’s Lawsuit Against Boing Boing (For Now) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/court-dismisses-playboys-lawsuit-against-boing-boing-now)

In a win for free expression, a court has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against Happy Mutants, LLC, the company behind acclaimed website Boing Boing. From the outset of this lawsuit, we have been puzzled as to why Playboy, once a staunch defender of the First Amendment, would attack a small news and commentary website. Although the decision allows Playboy to try again with a new complaint, it is still a good result for supporters of online journalism and sensible copyright.

Will Canada Be the New Testing Ground for SOPA-lite? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/will-canada-be-new-testing-ground-sopa-lite-canadian-media-companies-hope-so)

A consortium of media and distribution companies calling itself “FairPlay Canada” is lobbying for Canada to implement a fast-track, extrajudicial website blocking regime in the name of preventing unlawful downloads of copyrighted works. The proposal would require service providers to “disappear” certain websites, endangering Internet security and sending a troubling message to the world: it’s okay to interfere with the Internet, even effectively blacklisting entire domains, as long as you do it in the name of IP enforcement.

Companies Must Be Accountable to All Users: The Story of Egyptian Activist Wael Abbas (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/insert-better-title-here)

Over the years, Egyptian journalist Wael Abbas has experienced censorship at the hands of Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and Yahoo!; four of Silicon Valley’s top companies. Although more extreme, his story isn’t so different from that of the many individuals who find themselves unceremoniously removed from a social platform. Abbas was only able to have his suspensions overturned after contacting EFF. For every prominent journalist documenting injustice who manages to get through their filters, how many more have lost the fight against the censors before they had a chance to reach a wider public?

miniLinks

Instagram submits to Russia censor’s demands (http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43070555)

Instagram obeys the Russian government’s request to remove a video (with over 5 million views) posted by opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s anti-corruption group. (BBC)

Ethiopia drops charges against Zone 9 bloggers (https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-drops-charges-against-zone-9-bloggers-123402189.html)

The remaining two “Zone 9” bloggers who were critical of Ethiopia’s government have been released as part of a larger release of hundreds of prisoners. (Yahoo! News)

German court says Facebook’s real name policy is illegal (https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/12/17005746/facebook-real-name-policy-illegal-german-court-rules)

German court tells Facebook their “real names” policy violates the law. (The Verge)

New Orleans Eyes Bars and Restaurants as New Focus of Surveillance (https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/02/new-orleans-eyes-bars-and-restaurants-as-new-focus-of-surveillance/552836/)

Vendors promise the technology is going to solve all the public safety problems… it doesn’t. (CityLab)

How a kid cartoonist avoided Scholastic’s digital sharecropping trap (https://boingboing.net/2018/02/08/terms-and-conditions-apply.html)

When kids apply for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, they fully transfer the copyright for their submission to Scholastic—even if they don’t win—and often without realizing it. (boingboing)

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calikid
03-18-2018, 01:15 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 730 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2748)
March 12, 2018


Stop the CLOUD Act (https://act.eff.org/action/stop-the-cloud-act)

Your data moves across international borders, and it should be protected at home and abroad. But a new bill in Congress would weaken existing protections, endangering the privacy of your emails, chat messages, and online photos. As Congress debates whether to attach this bill to another must-pass spending bill, we need your help. Tell your representative to reject the CLOUD Act.

The CLOUD Act (S. 2383 and H.R. 4943) would grant foreign and American police unreasonable access to data during cross-border investigations. The CLOUD Act could let police outside the United States grab data stored in the United States, and wiretap phone calls passing through the United States, while ignoring U.S. privacy laws. Foreign police could request data on non-U.S. persons not living in the United States, sending those requests directly to U.S. companies. During this data collection, the targets of these foreign police inevitably will be communicating with Americans. If you happen to be communicating with one of these foreign targets, then foreign police can often share your communications with the U.S. government. Then the U.S. government can use these communications against you, without a warrant, and without notifying them.

Tell your representative today to protect privacy by rejecting the CLOUD Act and any attempts to attach it to must-pass spending legislation.

Stop SESTA/FOSTA: Don't Let Congress Censor the Internet
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/stop-sestafosta-dont-let-congress-censor-internet)
The Internet we know today is possible because of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 230 protects online platforms from liability for some types of speech by their users. Without Section 230, social media would not exist in its current form, and neither would the plethora of nonprofit and community-based online groups that serve as essential outlets for free expression and knowledge sharing.

If Congress undermined Section 230's essential protections by passing The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA, H.R. 1865), many online platforms would be forced to place substantial restrictions on their users’ speech, censoring a lot of people in the process.

The version of FOSTA that’s passed the House, and is expected to come up for a Senate vote in the next few days, is a Frankenstein combination of an earlier version of FOSTA and a bill called the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). While the name might sound appealing, FOSTA is not needed to fight online sex trafficking. Existing Criminal law already allows federal prosecutors to go after online platforms that knowingly play a role in sex trafficking.

It would scare online platforms into censoring their users. Websites run by nonprofits or community groups, which have limited resources to police user content, would face the most risk. Some of the discussions most likely to be censored could be those by and about victims of sex trafficking.

Censorship is not the solution. If you care about preserving the Internet as a place where everyone can gather, learn, and share ideas, it's time to call your senators.

EFF Updates


Happy Sunshine Week, Transparency Fans! Here Are the 2018 winners of The Foilies
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/foilies-2018)
Where awards season ends and Sunshine Week begins, you'll find The Foilies. For the fourth year in a row, EFF is celebrating Sunshine Week by singling out the government officials who stood in the way of transparency, refused to hand over public records, and made ridiculous redactions. No spoilers: to find out who won FOIA Fee of the Year and other awards, you'll need to either click through or pick up a hard copy. (Yes! A hard copy!) Thanks to a partnership with the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, The Foilies run in alt weeklies in select cities throughout the country.

Offline/Online Highlights How the Oppression Marginalized Communities Face in the Real World Follows Them Online (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/offlineonline-project-highlights-how-oppression-marginalized-communities-face-real)

People in marginalized communities who are targets of persecution and violence are using social media to tell their stories, but finding their voices silenced online.

Flawed rules and ambiguous "community standards" have shut down online conversations about racism and harassment of people of color and resulted in the removal of reports about the Syrian war and human rights abuses.

In response, EFF and Visualizing Impact launched Offline/Online, an awareness project that highlights the online censorship of communities across the globe that are struggling or in crisis.

Offline/Online visuals are designed to be posted and shared by activists and concerned citizens, raising awareness about the impact of censorship on marginalized communities.

Namecheap Relaunches Move Your Domain Day to Support Internet Freedom
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/namecheap-relaunches-move-your-domain-day-support-internet-freedom)
On March 6, domain name registrar Namecheap relaunched "Move your Domain Day." Modeled after the companies 2012 promotion supporting a boycott of their competitor GoDaddy's highly unpopular support of SOPA and PIPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) (originally known as the E-PARASITE Act) and its Senate counterpart the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) (originally the Combating Online Infringement and Copyright Act (COICA)) were a series of bills promoted by Hollywood in the US Congress that would have a created a "blacklist" of censored websites. This year's "Move Your Domain" promotion resulted in the transfer of 20,590 domains. $1.50 from each "Move Your Domain Day" registration was donated to EFF ultimately raising $30,885 toward helping us ensure that internet users around the world have an advocate.

State Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Your Free Speech, Privacy, and Hard-Earned Cash (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/state-lawmakers-want-block-pornography-expense-your-free-speech-privacy-and-hard)

Lawmakers in more than 15 states are considering model legislation that would force device manufacturers to install "obscenity filters" on cell phones, tablets, computers, and any other internet-connected device. In addition to violating consumers First Amendment rights, and requiring consumers to submit written and documented requests to have filters removed, the bill would burden users with a $20 fee per device to access legal content. Between smartphones, tablets, computers, TV's, gaming consoles, routers and other Internet-enabled devices, consumers could end up paying hundreds of dollars to unlock all the devices in their homes.

How Grassroots Activists in Georgia Are Leading the Opposition Against a Dangerous "Computer Crime" Bill (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/how-grassroots-activists-georgia-are-leading-opposition-against-dangerous-computer)

What happens when a security researcher discovers the vulnerability in a states election center and reports the discovery ethically? This is precisely what happened in Georgia, where some of the states election functions were farmed out to Kennesaw State University. The researcher was cleared after an FBI investigation showed no laws had been broken in the process. But, Georgia lawmakers are now trying to rectify the issue with State Bill 315. You might expect S.B. 315 to require stronger protections for state voting data, but in fact, the law would instead criminalize independent computer research. Electronic Frontiers Georgia, a member of the Electronic Frontiers Alliance, is at the center of the resistance to this proposed legislation.

miniLinks

Berkeley Can Become a City of Refuge (https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/opinion-berkeley-can-become-a-city-of-refuge/Content?oid=13972302)

Cities should do everything in their power to protect vulnerable members of their community from surveillance technology that tramples on civil liberties.

The Senate has its own insincere net neutrality bill (https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/07/senate-open-internet-preservation-act/)

Any net neutrality legislation that allows paid prioritization necessarily allows throttling.

Washington becomes first state to pass law protecting net neutrality (http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/06/technology/washington-state-net-neutrality-law/index.html)

Washington passed the first state law requiring ISPs to abide by net neutrality principles.

Oregon bill for net neutrality heading to governor with help of 3 middle school students (http://www.kptv.com/story/37652655/oregon-bill-for-net-neutrality-heading-to-governor-with-help-of-3-middle-school-students)

Oregon should be following in Washington's footsteps soon.


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calikid
04-11-2018, 03:12 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 101010 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2791)
April 1, 2018 :D



PENDING
View as Webpage (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2791)



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calikid
04-11-2018, 03:16 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 731 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2776)
March 28, 2018


How To Opt Out of Facebook's Platform API Sharing (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/how-change-your-facebook-settings-opt-out-platform-api-sharing)

You shouldn't have to wade through complicated privacy settings to ensure that the companies with which you've entrusted your personal information are making reasonable, legal efforts to protect it. But while legislators and regulators scramble to understand the implications of last week's revelation that Facebook allowed third parties to violate users privacy on an unprecedented scale, users are left with the responsibility to make sure their profiles are as locked down as possible

Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics company, acquired access to more than 50 million Facebook users accounts in 2014. The data was collected, shared, and stored without most users' consent. This violation of user privacy was not a data breach. It was in line with Facebook's terms of service and API at the time; this is how Facebook's infrastructure was designed to work.

In addition to raising questions about Facebook's role in the 2016 presidential election, this news is a reminder of the inevitable risks users face when their information is captured, analyzed, indefinitely stored, and shared by a constellation of data brokers, marketers, and social media companies.
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How Congress Censored the Internet (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/how-congress-censored-internet)

EFF and other civil liberties organizations opposed it; sex trafficking experts and sex workers alike explained its flaws, and even the Department of Justice warned Congress not to pass it. This chorus of voices attempted to dissuade Congress, explaining that—though the bill's intent may have been to stop sex trafficking—in execution it would place those it purported to aid at greater risk and undermine the Internet we all know and love. Yet, the Senate voted 97-2 to pass the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA, H.R. 1865), forcing Internet platforms to censor their users and making trafficking victims less safe.
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EFF Updates
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Responsibility Deflected, the CLOUD Act Passes (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/responsibility-deflected-cloud-act-passes)

The CLOUD Act, giving U.S. and foreign police new mechanisms to seize data across the globe without a warrant and with few restrictions on using and sharing your information, was never reviewed or marked up by any committee in either the House or the Senate. It never received a hearing. It was never subject to a stand-alone floor vote. Instead, congressional leadership attached this un-vetted, unrelated data bill to the $1.3 trillion government spending bill. Congress has a professional responsibility to listen to the American people’s concerns, to represent their constituents, and to debate the merits and concerns of this proposal. It failed.
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EFF Helps Conservation Organization Stand Up To Mining Company (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/eff-helps-seacc-stand-mining-company-protects-fair-use-rights)

"Irreparable Harm," a short film sponsored by the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), documents Alaska's Admiralty Island National Monument, inhabited by the Tlingit people for thousands of years. It is also home to Hecla's Greens Creek silver mine. The film explores the mine's relationship with its Tlingit neighbors—highlighting pollution levels in traditional Tlingit food sources.

Last month Hecla Mining Company attempted to prevent further screenings of the film, claiming the use of footage from a company promotional video violated the Copyright Act. EFF responded to Hecla’s demands on behalf of SEACC, pointing out what should have been obvious--that the use of short clips in a critical documentary is “a paradigmatic case of fair use.”
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Catalog of Missing Devices: Physics Barbie (https://www.eff.org/missing-devices#slide-0-field_gallery_images-97861)

There’s a whole catalog of devices that are missing from our world. Things we’d pay money for — things you could earn money with — don’t exist thanks to the chilling effects of an obscure copyright law: Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This week's entry is Physics Barbie, a talking doll that's been reprogrammed to talk science.
.
Lucy Parsons Labs Defends Transparency in Chicago (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/advocating-change-how-lucy-parsons-labs-defends-transparency-chicago)

Electronic Frontier Alliance ally Lucy Parsons Lab is a dedicated group of volunteers doing incredible work to protect civil liberties in Chicago and beyond. EFF's Lindsay Oliver sat down with Lucy Parsons Lab co-founder Freddy Martinez to gain a better understanding of the lab and how they use their powers for good.
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Senator Wyden Asks NSA Director Nominee the Right Questions (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/senator-wyden-asks-nsa-director-nominee-right-questions)

As part of his Senate Confirmation Hearing, Lt. General Paul Nakasone, the new nominee to direct the NSA, faced pointed and necessary questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) about how he would lead the spy agency.

Though elusive, Nakasone assured Sen. Wyden that he would "follow the law" and ensure that the NSA would do so as well. Nakasone also conceded that, conditionally, he agreed with encryption experts that tech companies could not modify their encryption to permit law enforcement access without "the bad guys" getting in too.

We hope that given the opportunity to question Nakasone, additional senators will ask the pointed questions we need answers to about the NSA's still-ongoing Section 702 surveillance program, and how he plans to reconcile the agencies invasive spying program with constitutional rights to privacy.
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E-Carceration: Trading Physical for Virtual Prisons (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/new-frontier-e-carceration-trading-physical-virtual-prisons)

As criminal justice advocates work to abolish cash bail schemes and dismantle the prison industrial complex, one of the many tools touted as an alternative to incarceration is electronic monitoring (EM). While EM's use has expanded, regulation and oversight lag behind. Electronic Monitoring devices—capable of recording and regularly transmitting a subject's location, blood alcohol level and more—raise a range of digital rights and civil liberty concerns.
These concerns are not limited solely to how those facing or convicted of criminal charges may be affected, but how in the absence of responsible guidelines those harms may extend to their families and communities as well. That's why EFF, along with over 50 other organizations, has endorsed the Center for Media Justice's Guidelines for Respecting the Rights of Individuals on electronic monitoring.
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miniLinks
.
How to Turn Off Location Services on Your Smartphone (https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-location-services-on-your-smartphone/)

Turn off your phone’s location services for ANY app that doesn’t seem like it should need them. (Consumer Reports)
.
How a New Senate Bill Will Screw Over Sex Workers (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/controversial-anti-sex-trafficking-bill-screw-over-sex-workers-w518323)

When platforms over-censor their users, marginalized communities are often silenced disproportionately. (Rolling Stone)
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Craigslist personals, some subreddits disappear after FOSTA passage (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/03/craigslist-personals-some-subreddits-disappear-with-fosta-passage/)

We warned Congress that passing SESTA/FOSTA would result in Internet censorship. With the bill headed to the president's desk, we're already seeing this happen. (Ars Technica)
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Quitting Facebook might be harder than you think (https://www.marketplace.org/2018/03/23/tech/quitting-facebook-might-be-harder-you-think)

We must demand better privacy practices from social media platforms rather than suggest people simply delete Facebook. (Marketplace)
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Experts Call Facebook's Latest Controversy a Social Media 'Breach of Trust' (https://threatpost.com/experts-call-facebooks-latest-controversy-a-social-media-breach-of-trust/130572/)

Facebook's sharing of user data was how the business model was supposed to work. (Threatpost)
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Board Bill 66 puts police surveillance under public scrutiny (http://www.stlamerican.com/news/columnists/guest_columnists/board-bill-puts-police-surveillance-under-public-scrutiny/article_b65807ae-2937-11e8-8d03-97cf5b04ab6c.html)

Technology can make our lives better, or be used to threaten fundamental liberties. Privacy Watch, a member of the Electronic Frontier Alliance, is working to ensure transparency and oversight of police use of spy tech in St. Louis. (The St. Louis American)


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calikid
04-19-2018, 09:33 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 732



PENDING/See April Fool's Day Issue (http://www.theoutpostforum.com/tof/showthread.php?1834-Electronic-Frontier-Foundation&p=54675&viewfull=1#post54675).


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calikid
04-19-2018, 09:35 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 733 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=9052)
April 18th, 2018.

UPDATED.
We Watched The Zuckerberg Hearings So You Don't Have To (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/facebook-not-what-complete-user-control-looks).

In most issues of EFFector, we give an overview of all the work we’re doing at EFF right now. This week, we present a deep dive on the recent Facebook data revelations and Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress.

As the nation searched for answers in the wake of Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, Mark Zuckerberg testified last week before a joint session of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees as well as the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While many users’ suspicions were affirmed, many important questions went unasked, unanswered, or deflected. Can users trust tech companies to handle their personal information? Can a surveillance-based, advertising-powered platform provide real user privacy protections? If not, how should users, legislators, and the company itself respond?

These have long been important questions for users and platforms to explore. This particular scandal with Facebook and Cambridge Analytica was unique only in that it combined sweeping data collection, indiscriminate sharing, lax safeguards, and manipulative advertising into the perfect privacy storm. Several years ago, Facebook’s Graph API allowed a researcher to engage in voracious collection of millions of people’s data without anything resembling informed consent. Then Facebook failed to step in as Cambridge Analytica subjected that user data to privacy-invasive machine learning techniques for targeted advertising purposes. Perhaps worst of all, Facebook never notified users of a known bad actor’s unauthorized access to their data.

A Pivotal Time for Online Privacy.

When a former Cambridge Analytica employee came forward to the press last month, it broke the dam on over a decade (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/facebook-timeline) of Facebook privacy concerns.

This Cambridge Analytica fiasco and subsequent fallout serve as a reminder of the serious privacy risks that users face when their personal information is captured, analyzed, indefinitely stored, and shared by a constellation of data brokers, marketers, and social media companies.

Facebook has responded with a stream of statements and changes, from reorganizing privacy settings to locking down APIs to ending relationships with third-party data brokers. But none of these changes have addressed the problem at the core of not only Facebook’s but much of the popular web’s privacy problems: We can’t be full participants in 21st-century social and political discourse without providing advertisers and others a constant stream of our most intimate personal details.

You shouldn’t have to be a settings wizard in order to enjoy a popular platform in a safe, private way. Platforms should protect your privacy by default and by design, collecting information only with your affirmative, informed consent. You should have meaningful control over your information and your experience. And, if you decide that a particular platform isn’t doing a good enough job protecting the data you’ve entrusted it with, you should be able to leave and take all your information with you. These are just a few of the privacy rights that any responsible social media platform should provide for its users.

Word Games in Congress.

Unfortunately, Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in front of Congress (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/what-we-want-learn-zuckerbergs-congressional-testimonies-week) gave us little confidence that the company is committed to providing the transparency and accountability at the foundation of those privacy rights. Instead, the hearings were full of technically accurate but deceptively incomplete word games, as well as hand-waving about AI, confusion about the roles of platforms and ISPs, and shocking inaccuracies about Section 230. Zuckerberg was unable to provide even ballpark answers about the scale at which Facebook tracks users and non-users across the web, and promised that his team would follow up at a later date a whopping 40 times.

With the hearings over, the question remains: What next? Above all, the guiding question should not be: What legislation do we need to make sure there is never another Cambridge Analytica? Rather, we should be asking: What privacy protections are missing, and how can we fill that gap while respecting other essential values like speech, user empowerment, and competition?

What Comes Next.

A knee-jerk urge to slap rules on Facebook risks enshrining it as the sole guardian of our discourse and data, with the quasi-authoritarian power to police speech and squash rivals. It’s important to consider how any reactions to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, legislative or otherwise, might help or hinder potential future competitors. While Facebook has the vast resources to comply with whatever requirements Congress throws at it, smaller start-ups may not (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/google-will-survive-sesta-your-startup-might-not).

Facebook’s surveillance business model and data-hungry design have created real problems for its users’ privacy rights. But some of those problems can be fixed. Going forward, we can look for answers in existing laws, pressure from users and investors, and focused legislative steps where necessary. We need to be both creative and judicious to ensure that today’s solutions don’t become tomorrow’s unexpected problems.

miniLinks

Facebook's Week of shame: the Cambridge Analytica Fallout (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/24/facebook-week-of-shame-data-breach-observer-revelations-zuckerberg-silence)

How the dam broke. (The Guardian)

A Short History of Facebook's Privacy Gaffes (https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-a-history-of-mark-zuckerberg-apologizing/?mbid=BottomRelatedStories)

The recent scandal may result in significant reimagining of how we share our information online, and what responsibility platforms have to protect their users' information. But, it's certainly not the first time users have questioned their trust in Facebook. (Wired)

The Facebook Privacy Setting That Doesn't Do Anything at All (https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-privacy-setting-doesnt-do-anything/)

It shouldn't be entirely surprising that users struggled to understand how each privacy setting worked. At times, so did Facebook. (Wired)

The Giant List of **** Mark Zuckerberg Swears He'll Get Back to Congress on (https://gizmodo.com/the-giant-list-of-****-mark-zuckerberg-swears-hell-get-1825189623)

Mark Zuckerberg did face some important questions during the congressional hearings. We're still waiting for answers on many of them. (Gizmodo)



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View this issue in it's entirety. Issue 733 (https://supporters.eff.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=9052)

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calikid
05-10-2018, 06:20 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue 733b (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/7#updates) updates.
May 9, 2018.


Red Alert for Net Neutrality - EFFector 31.7

Top Features
Red Alert: Tell Congress to Use the Congressional Review Act to Restore the Open Internet Order (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/red-alert-net-neutralirty-tell-congress-save-open-internet-order)

In December, the FCC voted to end the 2015 Open Internet Order, which prevented Internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T and Comcast from violating net neutrality principles. A simple majority vote in Congress can keep the FCC’s decision from going into effect. From now until the Senate votes, EFF, along with a coalition of organizations, companies, and websites, is on red alert and calling on you to tell Congress to vote to restore the Open Internet Order.


Bring in the Nerds: EFF Introduces Actual Encryption Experts to U.S. Senate Staff (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/bring-nerds-eff-introduces-actual-encryption-experts-us-senate-staff)

On May 3, in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, EFF convened a closed-door briefing for Senate staff about the realities of device encryption. While policymakers hear frequently from the FBI and the Department of Justice about the dangers of encryption and the so-called Going Dark problem, they very rarely hear from actual engineers, cryptographers, and computer scientists. EFF's panelists included Dr. Matt Blaze, professor of computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Susan Landau, professor of cybersecurity and policy at Tufts University; Erik Neuenschwander, Apple’s manager of user privacy; and EFF’s tech policy director Dr. Jeremy Gillula.

The discussion focused on renewed calls by the FBI and DOJ to create mechanisms to enable “exceptional access” to encrypted devices. Our goal was to give a technical description of how device encryption actually works and answer staff questions about the risks that exceptional access mechanisms necessarily introduce into the ecosystem. EFF's Gillula went last and concluded that in the cat-and-mouse game that is computer security, mandating exceptional access would freeze the defenders’ state of the art, while allowing attackers to progress without limit.

EFF Updates


A Tale of Two Poorly Designed Cross-Border Data Access Regimes (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/tale-two-poorly-designed-cross-border-data-access-regimes)

Recently, the European Commission published two legislative proposals that could further cement an unfortunate trend towards privacy erosion in cross-border state investigati*ons. Building on a foundation first established by the recently enacted U.S. CLOUD Act, these proposals compel tech companies and service providers to ignore critical privacy obligations in order to facilitate easy access when facing data requests from foreign governments. These initiatives collectively signal the increasing willingness of states to sacrifice privacy as a way of addressing pragmatic challenges in cross-border access that could be better solved with more training and streamlined processes.


Math Can’t Solve Everything: Questions We Need To Be Asking Before Deciding an Algorithm is the Answer (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/math-cant-solve-everything-questions-we-need-be-asking-deciding-algorithm-answer)

Before rushing to employ algorithms to make decisions, companies should begin by asking five questions:

Will this algorithm influence—or serve as the basis of—decisions with the potential to negatively impact people’s lives?
Can the available data actually lead to a good outcome?
Is the algorithm fair?
How will the results (really) be used by humans?
Will people affected by these decisions have any influence over the system?



Why Am I Getting All These Terms of Service Update Emails? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/why-am-i-getting-all-these-terms-service-update-emails)

Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25th, and most companies that have users in Europe are scrambling to update their privacy policies and terms of service to avoid breaking this new EU law. It's still an open question whether the rules apply to users living outside the EU, but the changes involve refinements in terminology, how companies need to get permission to use data, and changes in user ability to look at the data itself, change it, and take it with them when they leave.


The Big Lie ISPs Are Spreading in State Legislatures Is That They Don’t Make Enough Money (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/big-lie-isps-are-spreading-state-legislatures-they-dont-make-enough-money)

ISPs claim that the net neutrality principle banning paid prioritization—where an ISP charges websites and applications new fees and relegate those that do not pay to the slow lane—means that they cannot make enough money to upgrade and extend their service. We know this isn't true because the majority of costs for ISPs are in the initial building of their networks, which they have already recouped. And we've recently seen new ISPs build high-speed Internet networks turn a profit relatively quickly while adhering to net neutrality.

Missing Devices From an EFF Supporter (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/mashup-maker-another-entry-catalog-missing-devices-eff-supporter)

Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes tampering with "Digital Rights Management" a legal no-go zone. This scares off inventors and tinkerers from building new tools that should be perfectly legal. EFF details examples of these non-existent technologies in the Catalogue of Missing Devices. EFF supporter Benjamin McLean offered up his "Mashup Maker" as an example. This program would have ripped tracks legally acquired and imported them into a personal library with a built-in editor, making it easier for people to make fair use of these tracks.

There is No Middle Ground on Encryption (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/there-no-middle-ground-encryption)

Government officials are once again insisting that they still need to compromise our security via a backdoor for law enforcement. Opponents of encryption imagine that there is a “middle ground” approach that allows for strong encryption but with “exceptional access” for law enforcement. Government officials claim that technology companies are creating a world where people can commit crimes without fear of detection.

Despite this renewed rhetoric, most experts continue to agree that exceptional access, no matter how you implement it, weakens security.

MiniLinks

License Plate Surveillance Prompts New Concerns About Your Privacy (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/License-Plate-Surveillance-Prompts-New-Concerns-about-Your-Privacy-481120481.html)

Unrestrained, unmonitored sharing of data collected by automated license plate readers is a threat to privacy and public safety. (NBC San Diego)

Technology turns our cities into spies for ICE, whether we like it or not (http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-farivar-surveillance-tech-20180502-story.html)

Local law enforcement and other city agencies have been deploying spy technology that's "hurtling toward us so fast that privacy laws can't keep up." We need to fight back. (LA Times)

Once Again, Activists Must Beg the Government to Preserve the Right to Repair (https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mbxzyv/dmca-1201-exemptions)

This year's "excruciating DMCA section 1201 exemption process" threatens the right to repair tractors, cars, and electronics is at stake. (Motherboard)

ISPs should charge for fast lanes—just like TSA Precheck, GOP lawmaker says (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/04/isps-should-charge-for-fast-lanes-just-like-tsa-precheck-gop-lawmaker-says/)

In a way, Representative Marsha Blackburn is right that paid prioritization is like TSA Precheck. In that everyone else is stuck in a slow lane while those with money get to breeze past them. (Ars Technica)

As the Number of Driverless Cars Increase, So Does the Need for Car Maker Transparency (http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-driverless-data-20180430-story.html)

Self-driving car companies may not want to share accident data out of fear it will help competitors to progress faster. But the trade-off is a higher level of safety—and its a trade-off we should demand they make. (Los Angeles)

Halifax police won't charge teen arrested in Nova Scotia privacy breach (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/police-drop-charges-in-nova-scotia-government-breach-1.4651543)
Police say Halifax man 'did not have intent to commit a criminal offence'

Oakland to require public approval of surveillance tech (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/05/02/oakland-to-require-public-approval-of-surveillance-tech/)
Oaklanders will have a say in the city’s use of surveillance tech.


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calikid
05-31-2018, 04:53 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #734 (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/8) updates.
May 25, 2018.


Top Features


EFF Wins Final Victory Over Podcasting Patent (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-wins-final-victory-over-podcasting-patent)

The Supreme Court denied Personal Audio LLC's petition for review, putting an end to a years-long fight between EFF and the patent troll. Personal Audio had claimed that podcasters like Adam Corolla and other, smaller podcasters infringed its patent for a "system disseminating media content" in serialized episodes. EFF challenged the patent arguing, among other things, that people were podcasting before Personal Audio first applied for its patent. EFF first won in the Patent Office in 2015, and with the decision from the Supreme Court, this case is finally over and podcasters can cast without fear.

The Senate Voted to Stand Up for Net Neutrality, Now Tell the House to Do the Same (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/senate-voted-stand-net-neutrality-now-tell-house-do-same)

On May 16, the Senate voted to restore the 2015 Open Internet Order and reject the FCC’s attempt to gut net neutrality. The final Senate vote was 52 to 47 in favor. That puts a bare majority of the Senate in step with the 86% of Americans who oppose the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality protections. This is a great first step, but now the fight moves to the House of Representatives.

Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a majority vote in Congress can overturn the FCC's rule. With the passage of the CRA measure in the Senate, we're partway to restoring net neutrality protections. However, a majority of the members of the House of Representatives have not committed to voting for it. We have to keep up the momentum that got us a win in the Senate by getting 218 representatives committing to voting in favor. Take a minute to check where your representative stands, and, if they haven't already, ask them to stand up for net neutrality.

EFF Updates


PGP and EFAIL: Frequently Asked Questions (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/pgp-and-efail-frequently-asked-questions)

Researchers have developed code exploiting several vulnerabilities in PGP (including GPG) for email and theorized many more which others could build upon. This understandably has caused people to ask many questions. We've attempted to answer some of the most important ones for you, such as what attacks the researchers have found, who was affected by the vulnerabilities, and what to look out for going forward.

We'll continue to update our pages as this situation evolves, so keep checking back on EFF.org.

Privacy Badger Rolls Out New Ways to Fight Facebook Tracking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/privacy-badger-rolls-out-new-ways-fight-facebook-tracking)

EFF released a new version of Privacy Badger featuring a new, experimental way to protect your privacy on and, crucially, off Facebook. When you click a link on Facebook, the external link is wrapped in a URL that points back to Facebook.com. Facebook is not alone in this, as companies like Google and Twitter do the same. Facebook goes a step further by hiding that wrapped Facebook.com URL so it looks innocuous, but is still tracking where you go.

To combat this, the latest version of Privacy Badger finds all those wraps as they’re added to the page, replaces them with their "unwrapped" equivalents, and blocks the tracking code that would run when you hover over or click on them.


EFF Presents John Scalzi's Science Fiction Story About Our Right to Repair Petition to the Copyright Office (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-presents-john-scalzi-science-fiction-story-about-our-right-repair-petition)

Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal to get around any sort of lock that controls access to copyrighted material. While it is possible to get exemptions to this provision, it's a long and arduous process that still results in burdens being placed on things like repair shops. Because there is copyrighted software in cars, mechanics can be violating the law when they try to get into the diagnostic systems of your car. That's a nightmare scenario, which author John Scalzi was kind enough to write us a science fiction story to illustrate.

The Secure Data Act Would Stop Backdoors (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/secure-data-act-would-stop-backdoors)

A new bill introduced in Congress gets encryption right. The bipartisan Secure Data Act would protect companies that make encrypted mobile phones, tablets, desktop and laptop computers, as well as developers of popular software for sending end-to-end encrypted messages, including Signal and WhatsApp, from being forced to alter their products in a way that would weaken the encryption. The bill also forbids the government from seeking a court order that would mandate such alterations.


Fourth Circuit Rules That Suspicionless Forensic Searches of Electronic Devices at the Border Are Unconstitutional (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/fourth-circuit-rules-suspicionless-forensic-searches-electronic-devices-border-are)

In a victory for privacy rights at the border, on May 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that forensic searches of electronic devices carried out by border agents without any suspicion that the traveler has committed a crime violate the U.S. Constitution.

Privacy Policy Update (https://www.eff.org/policy)

We’ve updated our privacy policy to provide more transparency about our privacy practices and more detailed information about how you can access, correct and remove personal data stored with EFF.

Announcements


EFF at WIPO SCCR 36 (https://www.eff.org/event/eff-wipo-sccr-36)

EFF will be attending the 36th meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights of WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization. The meeting will discuss a proposed treaty that would give broadcasters exclusive new rights over the material that they broadcast, as well as copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives and for education, and the status of copyright in the digital age.

Members-Only Speakeasy : Bay Area (https://www.eff.org/event/members-only-speakeasy-bay-area-5)

Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation staff for a drink on Wednesday, May 30 in San Francisco! Raise a glass with EFF attorneys, technologists, and activists and discover our latest work defending your freedom online. EFF's Speakeasy events are free, informal meetups that give you a chance to mingle with local members and meet the people behind the world's leading digital civil liberties organization. It is also our chance to thank you, the EFF members who make this work possible.

As a special treat, the EFF staff will give the crowd a brief update on our work on emerging online rights issues. If you are a current San Francisco Bay Area EFF member accepting email, you will find a personal invitation with location details in your inbox! Space is limited, so reserve your spot. If you are traveling through San Francisco next week and would like to join in, contact membership@eff.org for more information.

MiniLinks

Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract (https://gizmodo.com/google-employees-resign-in-protest-against-pentagon-con-1825729300)

Several Google employees have left the company, writing that continued involvement in the Pentagon's Project Maven deserves more sober reflection and public debate. (Gizmodo)

What Proportion of Social Media Posts Get Moderated, and Why? (https://digitalsocialcontract.net/what-proportion-of-social-media-posts-get-moderated-and-why-db54bf8b2d4a)

We need transparency from the platforms themselves when it comes to how they moderate content online. For now, researchers including Nicolas Suzor have been tracking how the content moderation processes of major platforms are actually working in practice. (Digital Social Contract)


Service Meant to Monitor Inmates’ Calls Could Track You, Too (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/technology/cellphone-tracking-law-enforcement.html)

Prison phone company Securus, which markets its location-finding service as a feature for law enforcement and corrections officials, can get real-time location data for nearly any cellphone in the country.



How Cities Are Reining in Out-of-Control Policing Tech (https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/oakland-california-and-other-cities-are-reining-in-out-of-control-police-technologies.html)

Cities and counties are making progress in the fight to rein in law enforcement surveillance.


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EFF is Supported By Donors.
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View this issue in it's entirety. Issue 734. (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/8)

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)

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calikid
06-20-2018, 05:56 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #735 (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/9) updates.
June 12, 2018.

Who Has Your Back When It Comes to Government Censorship? - EFFector 31.9

Top Features


Who Has Your Back? Censorship Edition 2018 (https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2018)

Given policymakers' and the public's intense focus on cracking down on speech they consider undesirable, this year's Who Has Your Back report features substantially redesigned categories and criteria. Since the Electronic Frontier Foundation began publishing Who Has Your Back in 2011, it has generally focused on the practices of major consumer-facing Internet companies regarding government requests to produce user data. This year, we shift our focus to companies' responses to government requests to take down user content and suspend user accounts.

For our 2018 report, we assess companies' policies against five all-new criteria:

Transparency in reporting government takedown requests based on legal requests
Transparency in reporting government takedown requests based on requests alleging platform policy violations
Providing meaningful notice to users of every content takedown and account suspension
Providing users with an appeals process to dispute takedowns and suspensions
Limiting the geographic scope of takedowns when possible

Three platforms—the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and YouTube—earned stars in all five of these categories. And three more—Medium, Reddit, and WordPress.com—earned stars in all but the notice category, which proved the most challenging category for the companies we assessed. Some companies fell notably short overall; Facebook's and Instagram's policies in particular lagged behind comparable tech companies and social networks. However, it's clear that public pressure is resulting in real change in corporate policy and practice. We look forward to more long-term improvements across the industry in future years as companies take steps to be more accountable to their users and those users' right to freedom of expression.

EFF and 23 Civil Liberties Organizations Demand Transparency on NSA Domestic Phone Record Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-and-x-civil-liberties-organizations-demand-transparency-nsa-domestic-phone)

Two dozen civil liberties organizations, including EFF and the ACLU, have urged Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats to report—as required by law—statistics that could help clear up just how many individuals are burdened by broad NSA surveillance of domestic telephone records. These records show who is calling whom and when, but not the content of the calls.

These numbers are crucial to understanding how the NSA conducts this highly sensitive surveillance under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, as amended by the USA Freedom Act of 2015. Under the earlier version of this surveillance program, the NSA collected details of nearly every single American's phone calls. With the NSA’s domestic phone record surveillance powers scheduled to expire in 2019, Congress and the public deserve to know the truth before any legislative attempts to reauthorize the program.

Despite this, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has failed to report these statistics in its past three annual transparency reports.

The civil liberties groups also signed a letter to Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, warning about the NSA’s continued failure to comply with the law mandating disclosure of this data.

EFF Updates


Email Privacy Act Comes Back, Hopefully to Stay (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/email-privacy-act-comes-back-hopefully-stay)

The House of Representatives passed a bill this week called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the nation’s military and defense programs. Earlier in the week, scores of Representatives offered amendments to this must-pass bill in hopes of ensuring that their ideas get a chance to become law.

Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) used this opportunity to include as an amendment the Email Privacy Act, a piece of legislation long-favored by EFF. The Email Privacy Act would codify the rule announced by the Sixth Circuit—and now followed by providers nationwide—that requires government agents to first obtain a probable cause warrant when seeking the content of communications stored by companies like Google, Facebook, Slack, Dropbox, and Microsoft.

On Thursday night, the House approved the NDAA—including the amendment with the Email Privacy Act—in a 351-66 vote. We applaud the House’s inclusion of this important statutory language.


What to Watch for in an Internet Without Net Neutrality (And How To Stop It) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/bleak-future-internet-without-net-neutrality-and-what-you-can-do-stop-it)

On Monday, June 11, the FCC's rollback of net neutrality rules went into effect, but don't expect the Internet to change overnight.

You can look forward to an Internet that's slower when you're trying to visit less popular sites, and where online services get a bit more expensive because they have to pay protection money to the ISPs. It will be harder for new companies to come in and compete with the ones that paid for fast lanes, and the nonprofit information resources on the web will be harder to use.

It's not going to be a flashy apocalypse; it will be a slow decline into the Internet of ISP gatekeeping, and you probably won't even know what neat services and helpful resources you're missing. And one day, when the ISPs are secure in their victory, they'll test the waters and see if you'll pay extra to access anything that's not Facebook, or Comcast's video platform, or AT&T's paying partners.

Announcements


Cryptoparty Hosted by Cypurr (https://www.eff.org/event/cryptoparty-hosted-cypurr-5)

Being able to communicate safely and privately with friends and family is part of the foundation of all our lives, so it's also a key skill for using the Internet. This month's cryptoparty will go over easy ways to talk, chat, and email securely online. It's always good to review the tools and habits that our digital security depend on, especially with the recent Signal Desktop flaws and the e-Fail email exploits.






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calikid
07-03-2018, 04:31 AM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #736 (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/10) updates.
June 28, 2018.


Top Features
Victory! Supreme Court Says Fourth Amendment Applies to Cell Phone Tracking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/victory-supreme-court-says-fourth-amendment-applies-cell-phone-tracking)

The Supreme Court handed down a landmark opinion in Carpenter v. United States last week, ruling 5-4 that the Fourth Amendment protects cell phone location information. In an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, the court recognized that location information—collected by cell providers like Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon—creates a “detailed chronicle of a person’s physical presence compiled every day, every moment over years.” As a result, police must now get a warrant before obtaining this data.

Perhaps the most significant part of the ruling is its explicit recognition that individuals can maintain an expectation of privacy in information that they provide to third parties. The court termed that a “rare” case, but it’s clear that other invasive surveillance technologies, particularly those that can track individuals through physical space, are now ripe for challenge in light of Carpenter. Expect to see much more litigation on this subject from EFF and our friends.

Announcing STARTTLS Everywhere: Securing Hop-to-Hop Email Delivery (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/announcing-starttls-everywhere-securing-hop-hop-email-delivery)

We’re announcing the launch of STARTTLS Everywhere, EFF’s initiative to improve the security of the email ecosystem.

Thanks to previous EFF efforts like Let's Encrypt, and Certbot, as well as help from the major web browsers, we've seen significant wins in encrypting the web. Now we want to do for email what we’ve done for web browsing: make it simple and easy for everyone to help ensure their communications aren’t vulnerable to mass surveillance.

STARTTLS is an addition to SMTP, which allows one email server to say to the other, “I want to deliver this email to you over an encrypted communications channel.” The recipient email server can then say “Sure! Let’s negotiate an encrypted communications channel.” The two servers then set up the channel and the email is delivered securely, so that anybody listening in on their traffic only sees encrypted data. In other words, network observers gobbling up worldwide information from Internet backbone access points (like the NSA or other governments) won't be able to see the contents of messages while they’re in transit, and will need to use more targeted, low-volume methods.

STARTTLS Everywhere provides software that a sysadmin can run on an email server to automatically get a valid certificate from Let’s Encrypt. This software can also configure their email server software so that it uses STARTTLS, and presents the valid certificate to other email servers. Finally, STARTTLS Everywhere includes a “preload list” of email servers that have promised to support STARTTLS, which can help detect downgrade attacks. The net result: more secure email, and less mass surveillance.

EFF Updates

After More Than a Decade of Litigation, the Dancing Baby Has Done His Part to Strengthen Fair Use for Everyone (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/after-more-decade-litigation-dancing-baby-ready-move)

It all started when Stephanie Lenz posted a YouTube video of her then-toddler-aged son dancing while Prince’s song “Let's Go Crazy” played in the background, and Universal used copyright claims to get the link disabled. We brought the case hoping to get some clarity from the courts on a simple but important issue: can a rightsholder use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to take down an obvious fair use, without consequence?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the DMCA requires a rightsholder to consider whether the uses she targets in a DMCA notice are actually lawful under the fair use doctrine. However, the court also held that a rightsholder’s determination on that question passes muster as long as she subjectively believes it to be true. This leads to a virtually incoherent result: a rightsholder must consider fair use, but has no incentive to actually learn what such a consideration should entail. After all, if she doesn’t know what the fair use factors are, she can’t be held liable for not applying them thoughtfully.

Thanks to the Lenz decision, courts will be more likely to think of fair use, correctly, as a crucial vehicle for achieving the real purpose of copyright law: to promote the public interest in creativity and innovation. And rightsholders are on notice: they must at least consider fair use before sending a takedown notice. After the Supreme Court denied petitions to consider the Ninthb Circuit's ruling, the case returned to the district court for trial on the question of whether Universal’s takedown was a misrepresentation under the Ninth Circuit’s subjective standard. Rather than go to trial, the parties have agreed to a settlement.

Volkswagen Claims Ownership of an Entire Group of Insects (https://www.eff.org/takedowns/volkswagen-claims-ownership-entire-group-insects)

Using word searches to find infringement is a bad way to go about things. It is likely why Volkswagen filed three takedown requests on art of beetles. Not Beetles with four wheels and headlights. Beetles with six legs and hard, shiny carapaces. For the record, Volkswagen holds no rights to literal bugs.


Happy Birthday Alice: Four Years Busting Software Patents (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/happy-birthday-alice-four-years-busting-software-patents)

This year marks the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice v. CLS Bank. In Alice, the court ruled that an abstract idea does not become eligible for a patent simply by being implemented on a generic computer. Now that four years have passed, we know the case’s impact: bad patents went down, and software innovation went up.

Lower courts have applied Alice to throw out a rogues’ gallery of abstract software patents. Counting both federal courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, there are more than 400 decisions finding patent claims invalid under Alice. These include rulings invalidating patents on playing bingo on a computer, computerized meal plans, updating games, and many more. Some of these patents had been asserted by patent trolls dozens or even hundreds of times. A single ruling threw out 168 cases where a troll claimed that companies infringed a patent on the idea of storing and labeling information.


The GDPR and Browser Fingerprinting: How It Changes the Game for the Sneakiest Web Trackers
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/gdpr-and-browser-fingerprinting-how-it-changes-game-sneakiest-web-trackers)
Browser fingerprinting is on a collision course with privacy regulations. Compared to more well-known tracking “cookies,” browser fingerprinting is trickier for users and browser extensions to combat: websites can do it without detection, and it’s very difficult to modify browsers so that they are less vulnerable to it. As cookies have become more visible and easier to block, companies have been increasingly tempted to turn to sneakier fingerprinting techniques.

But companies also have to obey the law. And for residents of the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force on May 25th, is intended to cover exactly this kind of covert data collection. The EU has also begun the process of updating its ePrivacy Directive, best known for its mandate that websites must warn you about any cookies they are using. If you’ve ever seen a message asking you to approve a site’s cookie use, that’s likely based on this earlier Europe-wide law.

This leads to a key question: Will the GDPR require companies to make fingerprinting as visible to users as the original ePrivacy Directive required them to make cookies?

The answer, in short, is yes. Where the purpose of fingerprinting is tracking people, it will constitute “personal data processing” and will be covered by the GDPR.



EFF Pressure Results in Increased Disclosure of Abuse of California’s Law Enforcement Databases

EFF’s efforts to fix holes in oversight of the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) are paying off. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/03/eff-pressure-results-increased-disclosure-abuse-californias-law-enforcement)

New data and records released by California Department of Justice (CADOJ) show a steep increase in the number of agencies disclosing cases of abuse of the state's network of law enforcement databases—a major victory for transparency and law enforcement accountability.






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calikid
07-21-2018, 11:02 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #737 (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/11).
July 17, 2018.


Top Features
EFF Sues to Invalidate FOSTA, an Unconstitutional Internet Censorship Law (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/06/eff-sues-invalidate-fosta-unconstitutional-internet-censorship-law)

We are asking a court to declare the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (“FOSTA”) unconstitutional and prevent it from being enforced. The law was written so poorly that it actually criminalizes a substantial amount of protected speech and, according to experts, actually hinders efforts to prosecute sex traffickers and aid victims.

In our lawsuit, two human rights organizations, an individual advocate for sex workers, a certified non-sexual massage therapist, and the Internet Archive are challenging the law as an unconstitutional violation of the First and Fifth Amendments. Although the law was passed by Congress for the worthy purpose of fighting sex trafficking, its broad language makes criminals of those who advocate for and provide resources to adult, consensual sex workers and actually hinders efforts to prosecute sex traffickers and aid victims.


A Key Victory Against European Copyright Filters and Link Taxes - But What's Next? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/key-victory-against-european-copyright-filters-and-link-taxes-whats-next)

Against all the odds, but with the support of nearly a million Europeans, MEPs voted earlier this month to reject the EU's proposed copyright reform—including controversial proposals to create a new "snippet" right for news publishers, and mandatory copyright filters for sites that published user-uploaded content.

The change was a testimony to how powerful and fast-moving net activists can be. Four weeks ago, few knew that these crazy provisions were even being considered. By the June 20th vote, Internet experts were weighing in, and wider conversations were starting on sites like Reddit.

The result was a vote on July 5th of all MEPS that culminated in a 318 against 278 vote in favour of withdrawing the Parliament's support for the languages.

EFF Updates

All Hands on Deck: Join EFF (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/shipshape-security-drive-td)

It’s easy to feel adrift these days. The rising tide of social unrest and political extremism can be overwhelming, but on EFF’s 28th birthday our purpose has never been more clear. With the strength of our numbers, we can fight against the scourge of pervasive surveillance, government and corporate overreach, and laws that stifle creativity and speech....

California's Net Neutrality Bill Is Strong Again Because You Spoke Out (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/californias-net-neutrality-bill-strong-again-because-you-spoke-out)

After a hearing that stripped California’s gold-standard net neutrality bill of much of its protections, California legislators have negotiated new amendments that restore the vast majority of those protections to the bill. The big ISPs and their money did not defeat the voices of the many, many people who want and need a free and open Internet.


With EFF’s Help, Language Teacher Responds to Ridiculous Patent Threat (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/effs-help-language-teacher-responds-ridiculous-patent-threat)

Hodder and Stoughton, a large British publisher, has sent a letter to Mihalis Eleftheriou claiming that it has rights to a patent that covers recorded language lessons, and demanding that he stop providing online courses. Hodder and Stoughton contends that Language Transfer infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,565,358, titled “Language teaching system.” The patent essentially covers a language lesson on tape.


Don’t Give the DHS Free Rein to Shoot Down Private Drones (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/dont-give-dhs-free-rein-shoot-down-private-drones)

When government agencies refuse to let the members of the public watch what they’re doing, drones can be a crucial journalistic tool. But now, some members of Congress want to give the federal government the power to destroy private drones it deems to be an undefined “threat.” Even worse, they’re trying to slip this new, expanded power into unrelated, must-pass legislation without a full public hearing. Worst of all, the power to shoot these drones down will be given to agencies notorious for their absence of transparency, denying access to journalists, and lack of oversight.


DNA Collection is Not the Answer to Reuniting Families Split Apart by Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” Program (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/dna-collection-not-answer-reuniting-families-split-apart-trumps-zero-tolerance)

The Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” program of criminally prosecuting all undocumented adult immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border has had the disastrous result of separating as many as 3,000 children—many no older than toddlers—from their parents and family members. The federal government doesn’t appear to have kept track of where each family member has ended up. Now politicians, agency officials, and private companies argue DNA collection is the way to bring these families back together. DNA is not the answer. Immigrant families shouldn’t have to trade the civil rights violation of being separated from their family members for the very real threats to privacy and civil liberties posed by DNA collection.


Should Your Company Help ICE? “Know Your Customer” Standards for Evaluating Domestic Sales of Surveillance Equipment
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/should-your-company-help-ice-know-your-customer-standards-evaluating-domestic)
Tech companies, especially those selling surveillance equipment, must step up and ensure that they aren’t assisting governments in committing human rights, civil rights, and civil liberties abuses. This obligation applies whether those governments are foreign or domestic, federal or local.

One way tech companies can navigate this difficult issue is by adopting a robust Know Your Customer program, modeled on requirements that companies already have to follow in the export control and anti-bribery context.

Announcements
Announcing EFF’s New Logo (and Member Shirt)
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/effs-new-logo-member-shirt)
EFF was founded 28 years ago, and during that time, EFF’s logo remained more or less unchanged. This helped us develop a consistent identity — people in the digital rights world instantly recognize our big red circle and the heavy black “E.” But the logo had some downsides. It’s hard to read, doesn’t say much about our organization, and looks a bit out of date. We are finally getting around to a new look for EFF.

EFF at OSCON 2018 (https://www.eff.org/event/eff-oscon-2018)

Join EFF at OSCON, O'Reilly's blockbuster open source event at the Portland Convention Center. Stop by the EFF booth #P21 to learn about the latest in the digital civil liberties movement. You can even donate to get some great swag or become an official member! There has never been a more important time to ensure that our rights have a defender. We hope to see you there.
.
Job Openings

Staff Technologist – JavaScript Developer (https://www.eff.org/opportunities/jobs/staff-technologist-javascript-developer)

EFF is seeking a full-time Staff Technologist to work with our Browser Extensions team as the lead developer for HTTPS Everywhere.


Civil Liberties Staff Attorney (https://www.eff.org/opportunities/jobs/civil-liberties-staff-attorney)

EFF is looking to hire an experienced litigator with an unshakeable sense of justice and Fourth Amendment expertise to join our civil liberties team.

.
MiniLinks

What Iran and Russia’s Telegram Ban Means for Secure Messaging Apps (http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/06/the-implications-of-iran-and-russias-attack-on-telegram.html)

When everyone is using encryption apps, "the fact that you are using the app at all is not an indicator that you are someone the government might be interested in watching"—and that makes everyone safer, says EFF Staff Technologist Erica Portnoy. (Select All)


YouTuber in Row Over Copyright Infringement of His Own Song (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44726296)

The copyright robots strike again. Yet another example of how automated filters fail to recognize human context. (BBC News)


Small Internet Providers Face a Fight for Their Lives (https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/11/small-internet-providers-face-a-fight-for-their-lives/)

Consumers should be allowed to choose the ISP that they want. Major ISPs want to make that harder. (Engadget)




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08-10-2018, 06:58 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #738 (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/12).
July 17, 2018.

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EFF is Supported By Donors.
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calikid
08-31-2018, 05:47 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #739.
Aug 16, 2018.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/31/13)

Top Features
Sextortion Scam: What to Do If You Get the Latest Phishing Spam Demanding Bitcoin (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/sextortion-scam-what-do-if-you-get-latest-phishing-spam-demanding-bitcoin)

You may have arrived at this post because you received an email from a purported hacker who is demanding payment or else they will send compromising information—such as pictures sexual in nature—to all your friends and family. You’re searching for what to do in this frightening situation.

Don’t panic. Contrary to the claims in your email, you haven't been hacked (or at least, that's not what prompted that email). This is merely a new variation on an old scam which is popularly being called "sextortion." This is a type of online phishing that is targeting people around the world and preying off digital-age fears.

The first and foremost piece of advice we have: do not pay the ransom.

If the scammer emailed you a password that you still use, in any context whatsoever, STOP USING IT and change it NOW! Consider employing a password manager to keep your passwords strong and unique. Moving forward, you should make sure to enable two-factor authentication whenever that is an option on your online accounts. You can also check out our Surveillance Self-Defense guide for more tips on how to protect your security and privacy online. You may also want to apply a cover over your computer’s camera. We know this experience isn't fun, but it's also not the end of the world. Just ignore the scammers' empty threats and practice good password hygiene going forward!

Internet Publication of 3D Printing Files About Guns: Facts and What’s at Stake (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/internet-publication-3d-printing-files-about-guns-facts-and-whats-stake)

When it comes to guns, nearly everyone has strong views. When it comes to Internet publication of 3D printed guns, those strong views can push courts and regulators into making hasty, dangerous legal precedents that will hurt the public's ability to discuss legal, important, and even urgent topics ranging from mass surveillance to treatment of tear gas attacks. In its responses to 3D printed guns, the U.S. Department of State and state Attorneys General have sought to brush aside the legal protections that ensure your right to dissent and to publish technological information and software for privacy and other purposes. That’s why we’re working to make sure that 3D printing cases don’t set precedents that chip away at your freedoms to speak and learn online.

If the states in this case are successful, they will bypass legal doctrines that we rely on to protect your right to encrypt and your right to advocate for social change. Their arguments are dangerous because they threaten to empower current (and future) U.S. government officials to play pre-publication gatekeeper of what information you can publish online based on the barest, unproven claim of national interest or the possibility that others might use your information to further crimes. It could bar us from publishing and discussing artificial intelligence technologies, something that has increasing importance to our online lives and even how the government makes decisions about bail and sentencing. It could censor information about how to survive a chemical weapons attack. It could force us to compromise our secure communications technologies, making our personal information vulnerable to unlawful surveillance and identity theft.


EFF Updates

How to Improve the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/how-improve-california-consumer-privacy-act-2018)

California has enacted the Consumer Privacy Act (A.B. 375), a well-intentioned but flawed new law that seeks to protect the data privacy of technology users and others by imposing new rules on companies that gather, use, and share personal data. There's a lot to like about the Act, but there is substantial room for improvement. Most significantly, the act allows businesses to charge a higher price to users who exercise their privacy rights, does not provide users the power to bring violators to court (with the exception of a narrow set of businesses if there are data breaches), does not require user consent for data collection, only requires users to opt-out (rather than opt-in) to data being sold, and the "right-to-know" language is not specific enough and does not avoid news gathering.

The CCPA is just a start. Between now and the Act’s effective date in January 2020, much work remains to be done. EFF looks forward to advocating for improvements to the Act in the months and years to come.

EFF Amicus Brief: The Privacy Act Requires the FBI to Delete Files of Its Internet Speech Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/eff-amicus-brief-privacy-act-requires-fbi-delete-files-its-internet-speech)

U.S. law makes clear that the government cannot keep surveillance records on a person or group because of their political views or the way that they express their First Amendment rights. Unfortunately, the FBI has flouted these laws by maintaining records of its probe of two people whose website criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East.

In this case, plaintiffs Mr. Raimondo and Mr. Garris ran the website antiwar.com, where they wrote pieces criticizing U.S policy in the Middle East in the early 2000s. After reposting a widely available FBI document, they caught the notice of the FBI, which began tracking the website and the two men through a practice called “threat assessment.” The FBI did not find any wrongdoing or basis to further investigate. Nonetheless, the FBI maintained for many years a record of the postings on this advocacy website and its writers. The First Amendment clearly protects their online journalism and advocacy. Now they are requesting that the FBI expunge their surveillance files.

EFF is urging a court to make this right and filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the plaintiffs.
.
Eight AT&T Buildings and Ten Years of Litigation: Shining a Light on NSA Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/eight-att-buildings-and-ten-years-litigation-shining-light-nsa-surveillance)

Two reporters recently identified eight AT&T locations in the United States—towering, multi-story buildings—where NSA surveillance occurs on the backbone of the Internet. Their article showed how the agency taps into cables, routers, and switches that handle vast quantities of Internet traffic around the world. Published by The Intercept, the report shines a light on the NSA’s expansive Internet surveillance network housed inside these sometimes-opaque buildings.

EFF has been shining its own light on NSA Internet surveillance for years with our landmark case, Jewel v. NSA. In more than 10 years of litigation, we’ve made significant strides. Despite the government’s years-long stonewalling, EFF is committed to continuing its fight against the NSA’s mass, warrantless surveillance. Multiple newspapers and publications, like The Intercept, are equally committed, too. We thank them for investigating and writing stories that confirm what we’ve said in our Jewel suit, and for continuing to expose the enormous breadth of NSA surveillance to the public.

Stupid Patent of the Month: Upaid Sues “Offending Laundromats” For Using Prepaid Cards (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/stupid-patent-month-upaid-sues-offending-laundromats-using-prepaid-cards)

When patent trolls threaten and sue small businesses, their actions draw the public's attention to the worst abuses of the patent system. Upaid Ltd., a shell company based in the British Virgin Islands, has been filing patent infringement lawsuits throughout 2018, including 14 against laundromats—yes, laundromats—from California to Massachusetts.

Upaid says that laundromats are infringing U.S. Patent No. 8,976,947. Claim 1 of the patent describes a computer system that performs “pre-authorized communication services and transactions,” after checking an account to see if a user “has a sufficient amount currently available for the … transaction.” It’s essentially a patent on having a prepaid account for—well, anything.
.
Announcements
Crypto 2018: Global Overview of Developments in Encryption and Surveillance Policy and Law (https://www.eff.org/event/crypto-2018-global-overview-developments-encryption-and-surveillance-policy-and-law)

For folks attending Crypto 2018, the 38th International Cryptology Conference, don't miss this internationally-focused panel on surveillance and encryption. Organized by the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR), EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn will examine recent international and U.S. governmental efforts to control encryption and limit user security.


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The World Should Be Up in Arms About the EU's Looming Internet Catastrophe (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/why-whole-world-should-be-arms-about-eus-looming-internet-catastrophe)

We have just days until the European Parliament debates and votes on the new Copyright Directive, with its dangerous censorship machine and link tax measures.

Under the censorship machine proposal, Article 13, websites with user-generated content would have to automatically filter out anything that rightsholders designate – giving rise to the wrongful blocking, false assertions of copyright, and disregard for free speech that we’ve seen with censorship machines elsewhere.

The link tax, Article 11, would stop you from from linking to news articles on sites that generate previews unless you're on a site that's negotiated a license with the publisher you're linking to. The proposal aims to shrink protections for quotation that help readers decide whether to visit the linked site.

Together, these extreme, unworkable proposals represent a grave danger to the Internet, and they won't just affect Europeans.

If you’re in the EU, get in touch with your MEP by visiting Save Your Internet, and help us stop Article 11 and Article 13 from wrecking the Internet for everyone.

Everyone else: Share this with your European friends and family and let them know that this is a red alert. We have just days until the vote.

Together, we stopped the MEPs from fast-tracking the link tax and censorship machine proposals over the summer. Now, it's time to convince them to reject these measures entirely.

California Bill Is a Win for Access to Scientific Research (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/california-bill-win-access-scientific-research)

The California legislature scored a huge win in the fight for open access to scientific research. Now it’s up to Governor Jerry Brown to sign it. Under A.B. 2192—which passed both houses unanimously—all peer-reviewed, scientific research funded by the state of California would be made available to the public no later than one year after publication. There’s a similar law on the books in California right now, but it only applies to research funded by the Department of Public Health, and it’s set to expire in 2020. A.B. 2192 would extend it indefinitely and expand it to cover research funded by any state agency.

While we’re delighted to see A.B. 2192 pass, it’s only one step in the right direction. Science moves quickly, and a one-year embargo period is simply too long. Lawmakers should work to ensure that more grantees publish their papers in open access journals, available free of cost to the public on the date of publication. Lawmakers in California and elsewhere should also consider requiring open licenses in future laws. Requiring that grantees publish research under a license that allows others to republish, remix, and add value ensures that the public can get the maximum benefit of state-funded science. Finally, it’s time for Congress to pass a federal open access bill.

The Last Step for California To Pass a Gold Standard Net Neutrality Bill is the Governor's Signature
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/victory-california-passes-net-neutrality-bill)
The California legislature scored a huge win in the fight for open access to scientific research. Now it’s up to Governor Jerry Brown to sign it. Under A.B. 2192—which passed both houses unanimously—all peer-reviewed, scientific research funded by the state of California would be made available to the public no later than one year after publication. There’s a similar law on the books in California right now, but it only applies to research funded by the Department of Public Health, and it’s set to expire in 2020. A.B. 2192 would extend it indefinitely and expand it to cover research funded by any state agency.

While we’re delighted to see A.B. 2192 pass, it’s only one step in the right direction. Science moves quickly, and a one-year embargo period is simply too long. Lawmakers should work to ensure that more grantees publish their papers in open access journals, available free of cost to the public on the date of publication. Lawmakers in California and elsewhere should also consider requiring open licenses in future laws. Requiring that grantees publish research under a license that allows others to republish, remix, and add value ensures that the public can get the maximum benefit of state-funded science.

EFF Updates


Don't Shoot The messenger
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/dont-shoot-messenger)

Reuters reported that Facebook is being asked to “break the encryption” in its Messenger application to assist the Justice Department in wiretapping a suspect's voice calls, and that Facebook is refusing to cooperate. The report alarmed us in light of the government’s ongoing calls for backdoors to encrypted communications, but on reflection we think it’s unlikely that Facebook is being ordered to break encryption in Messenger and that the reality is more complicated.

Google Needs To Come Clean About Its Chinese Plans (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/after-patent-office-rejection-it-time-google-abandon-its-attempt-patent-use-public)

Eight years after Google initially took a stand against Internet censorship by exiting the Chinese search market, we are disappointed to learn the company has been secretly re-considering an extended collaboration with the massive censorship and surveillance-wielding state.

The public, Google’s users, and Google’s employees have been kept increasingly in the dark about compromises on the company’s own values that could massively affect the lives of not only citizens within China or the U.S., but also Internet users around the world. Google has already committed to processes that consider human rights when entering new markets in the Global Network Initiative. Is it following them here?

After Patent Office Rejection, It is Time For Google To Abandon Its Attempt to Patent Use of Public Domain Algorithm (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/08/after-patent-office-rejection-it-time-google-abandon-its-attempt-patent-use-public)

Google is trying to patent the use of a known data compression algorithm - called asymmetric numeral systems (ANS) – for video compression. In one sense, this patent application is fairly typical. The system seems designed to encourage tech giants to flood the Patent Office with applications for every little thing they do. Google’s application stands out, however, because the real inventor of ANS did everything he could to dedicate his work to the public domain.

The Patent Office issued a non-final rejection of all claims in Google’s application. Even if it could overcome the examiner’s rejection, that would only reflect the failings of a patent system hands out patents for tiny variations on existing methods. It is time for them to abandon its attempt to patent the use of ANS for video compression.

MiniLinks
Tech Industry Pursues a Federal Privacy Law, on Its Own Terms (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/26/technology/tech-industry-federal-privacy-law.html)

Tech companies hope to introduce a federal privacy law that will “neuter” California’s law before it is even implemented (New York Times)


YouTube, Netflix Videos Found to Be Slowed by Wireless Carriers (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-04/youtube-and-netflix-throttled-by-carriers-research-finds)

“ISPs are happy to use words like ‘unlimited’ and ‘no throttling’ in their public statements, but then give themselves the right to throttle certain traffic by burying some esoteric language in the fine print," says EFF’s Jeremy Gillula (Bloomberg)



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Issue #741.
Sept. 25, 2018.

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The Game is Rigged: Congress Invites No Consumer Privacy Advocates to its Consumer Privacy Hearing (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/game-rigged-congress-invites-no-consumer-privacy-advocates-its-consumer-privacy)

The Senate Commerce Committee is getting ready to host a much-anticipated hearing on consumer privacy—and consumer privacy groups don’t get a seat at the table. Instead, the committee is seeking only the testimony of big tech and Internet access corporations: Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Charter Communications, Google, and Twitter. Some of these companies have spent heavily to oppose consumer privacy legislation and have never supported consumer privacy laws. They know policymakers are considering new privacy protections, and are likely to view this hearing as a chance to encourage Congress to adopt the weakest privacy protections possible—and eviscerate stronger state protections at the same time.

Given this track record, Internet users should wonder whether the upcoming Senate Commerce hearing is just a prelude to yet another privacy rollback. If so, policymakers can expect to hear the voices they excluded loud and clear in opposition. Since we can’t be there to say this ourselves, we’ll say it here: EFF will oppose any federal legislation that weakens today’s hard-fought privacy protections or destroys the states’ ability to protect their citizens’ personal information. EFF has had a long and continuous battle with some of the testifying companies, such as Google and AT&T, regarding your right to data privacy, and we’re not going to give up now.

New Copyright Powers, New "Terrorist Content" Regulations: A Grim Day For Digital Rights in Europe (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/new-copyright-powers-new-terrorist-content-regulations-grim-day-digital-rights)

Despite waves of calls and emails from European Internet users, the European Parliament voted to accept the principle of a universal pre-emptive copyright filter for content-sharing sites (Article 13), as well as the idea that news publishers should have the right to sue others for quoting news items online – or even using their titles as links to articles (Article 11). Out of all of the potential amendments offered that would fix or ameliorate the damage caused by these proposals, they voted for the worst on offer.

There are still opportunities, at the EU level, at the national level, and ultimately in Europe’s courts, to limit the damage. But make no mistake, this is a serious setback for the Internet and digital rights in Europe.

It’s not enough to hope that these laws will lose momentum or fall apart from their own internal incoherence, or that those who don’t understand the Internet will refrain from breaking it. Keep reading and supporting EFF, and join Europe’s powerful partnership of digital rights groups, from Brussels-based EDRi to your local national digital rights organization. Speak up for your digital business, open source project, for your hobby or fandom, and as a contributor to the global Internet commons.

If you’ve ever considered stepping up to play a bigger role in European politics or activism, whether at the national level, or in Brussels, now would be the time.


Don’t Give DHS and DOJ Free Rein to Shoot Down Private Drones (https://act.eff.org/action/don-t-give-dhs-and-doj-free-rein-to-shoot-down-private-drones)

When government agencies hide their activities from the public, private drones can be a crucial tool for transparency and journalism. But now, some members of Congress want to give the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the power to intercept and destroy private drones it considers a “threat,” with no safeguards ensuring that that power isn’t abused.

The Department of Homeland Security routinely denies reporters access to detention centers. On the rare occasions DHS does allow entry, the visitors are not permitted to take photos or record video. Without other ways to report on these activities, drones have provided crucial documentation of the facilities being constructed to hold children.

We can’t hand the right to take over or shoot down private drones to the DHS and DOJ, offices that are already notorious for their hostility to public oversight. To make it worse, Congress is granting DHS and DOJ broad drone-destroying powers as part of a routine Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, with no chance for meaningful debate on how best to limit the government’s authority to intercept or destroy drones.

We have until Wednesday to tell the House of Representatives not to give the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security the power to intercept and destroy private drones it considers a “threat," including those being used to document ICE facilities.

EFF Updates


Facebook Warns Memphis Police: No More Fake “Bob Smith” Accounts (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/facebook-warns-memphis-police-no-more-fake-bob-smith-accounts)

Facebook has a problem: an infestation of undercover cops. Despite the social platform’s explicit rules that the use of fake profiles by anyone—police included—is a violation of terms of service, the issue proliferates. While the scope is difficult to measure, EFF has identified scores of agencies who maintain policies that explicitly flaunt these rules.

This summer, the criminal justice news outlet The Appeal reported on a civil rights lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Tennessee against the Memphis Police Department. The lawsuit uncovered evidence that the police used what they referred to as a “Bob Smith” account to befriend and gather intelligence on activists.

Following the report, EFF contacted Facebook, which deactivated that account. Facebook has since identified and deactivated six other fake accounts managed by Memphis police that were previously unknown.

Hopefully this issue is about to change, with a new warning Facebook has sent to the Memphis Police Department. The company has also updated its law enforcement guidelines to highlight the prohibition on fake accounts.

You Can Make the House of Representatives Restore Net Neutrality (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/you-can-make-house-representatives-restore-net-neutrality)

For all intents and purposes, the fate of net neutrality this year sits completely within the hands of a majority of members of the House of Representatives. For one thing, the Senate has already voted to reverse the FCC. For another, 218 members of the House can agree to sign a discharge petition and force a vote to the floor, and nothing could stop it procedurally. This represents the last, best chance for a 2018 end to the FCC’s misguided journey into abandoning consumer protection authority over ISPs such as Comcast and AT&T.

But we need you to take the time to contact your elected officials and make your voice heard: Tell Congress to sign the discharge petition and support net neutrality.

MiniLinks


Hide and Seek: Tracking NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware to Operations in 45 Countries (https://citizenlab.ca/2018/09/hide-and-seek-tracking-nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-to-operations-in-45-countries/)

The market for commercial spyware is lucrative and expanding. Our friends at Citizen Lab just released a new report tracking NSO Group’s “Pegasus” spyware to operations in 45 countries, many with track records of human rights abuses. (Citizen Lab)


Trump's FCC chief takes aim at California's net neutrality bill, reviving threadbare arguments (http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-pai-california-20180917-story.html)

Writing in the LA Times, Michael Hiltzik notes that while "Gov. Brown hasn’t yet tipped whether he’ll sign” SB 822 to ensure net neutrality in California, FCC Chair Ajit Pai "challenged him to do so. Brown should take him up on the challenge." (LA Times)



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Issue #742.
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Top Features

The Freedom to Jailbreak and the Right to Repair (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/new-exemptions-dmca-section-1201-are-welcome-dont-go-far-enough)

We’re pleased to announce that the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office have expanded the exemptions to Section 1201 of the DMCA, which makes it illegal to “circumvent” digital locks that control access to copyrighted works, and to make and sell devices that break digital locks.

This year, EFF proposed expansions of some of the existing exemptions for video creators, repair, and jailbreaking. With this rulemaking, there will be more circumstances where people can legally break digital access controls to do legal things with their own media and devices:

People who repair digital devices, including vehicles and home appliances, will have more protection from legal threats.

Filmmakers, students, and ebook creators will be able to use video clips more freely.

People can now jailbreak and modify voice assistant devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, as they can with smartphones and tablets.

Security researchers will have more freedom to investigate and correct flaws on a wider range of devices.

But the exemptions are still too narrow and too complex for most technology users, and they don’t save they don’t save the law from being an unconstitutional restraint on freedom of speech. EFF represents entrepreneur Andrew “bunnie” Huang and Professor Matthew Green in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Section 1201. Having finished this year’s rulemaking, we look forward to continuing that case.

Ten Legislative Victories You Helped Us Win in California
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/ten-legislative-victories-you-helped-us-win-california)
Your strong support helped us persuade California’s lawmakers to do the right thing on many important technology bills debated on the chamber floors this year. Here's just a few of the many successes we achieved.

Our biggest win of the year, the quest to pass California’s net neutrality law and set a gold standard for the whole country, was hard-fought. S.B. 822 not only prevents Internet service providers from blocking or interfering with traffic, but also from prioritizing their own services in ways that discriminate.

Cameras worn by police officers are increasingly common. Some police departments have withheld recordings of high-profile police use of force against civilians, even when communities demand release. The public now has the right to access those recordings. A.B. 748 goes into effect July 1, 2019.

With your support, we persuaded lawmakers to recognize how important it is for some of California’s most vulnerable young people—those involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems— to be able to access the Internet, as a way to further their education. A.B. 2448 guarantees that access.

A.B. 2192 was a huge victory for open access to knowledge in the state of California. It gives everyone access to research that’s been funded by the government within a year of its publication date.

With your help, we look forward to more successes in 2019.


McSweeney’s And EFF Team Up For "The End of Trust" (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/mcsweeneys-and-eff-team-end-trust)

For 20 years, McSweeney’s has been the first name (or last name, actually) in emerging short fiction. But this November, McSweeney’s will debut the first all-non-fiction issue of Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. “The End of Trust” (Issue 54) is a collection of essays and interviews focusing on issues related to technology and privacy compiled with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The collection features writing by EFF’s team, including Executive Director Cindy Cohn, Education and Design Lead Soraya Okuda, Special Advisor Cory Doctorow, board member Bruce Schneier, and Investigative Researcher Dave Maass, exploring issues related to surveillance, freedom of information, and encryption.

We also recruited some of our favorite thinkers on digital rights to contribute to the collection: anthropologist Gabriella Coleman contemplates anonymity; Edward Snowden explains blockchain; journalist Julia Angwin and Pioneer Award-winning artist Trevor Paglen discuss the intersections of their work; Pioneer Award winner Malkia Cyril discusses the historical surveillance of black bodies; and Ken Montenegro and Hamid Khan of Stop LAPD Spying debate author and intelligence contractor Myke Cole on the question of whether there’s a way law enforcement can use surveillance responsibly.

We’ve read and reviewed every piece, and without spoiling anything, we can say that it’s smart, thought-provoking, entertaining, and altogether freakin’ awesome.

EFF Updates

You Gave Facebook Your Number For Security. They Used It For Ads. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/you-gave-facebook-your-number-security-they-used-it-ads)

Facebook has been using contact information that users explicitly provided for security purposes—or that users never provided at all—for targeted advertising. A group of academic researchers from Northeastern University and Princeton University, along with Gizmodo reporters, found that Facebook harvests user phone numbers for targeted advertising in two disturbing ways: two-factor authentication (2FA) phone numbers and “shadow” contact information. As Facebook attempts to salvage its reputation among users in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it needs to put its money where its mouth is. Wiping 2FA numbers and “shadow” contact data from non-essential use would be a good start.

The Heavy Focus on 5G Wireless Means We Are Ignoring 68 Million Americans Facing High-Speed Cable Monopolies (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/heavy-focus-5g-wireless-means-we-are-ignoring-68-million-americans-facing-high)

All across the country right now, major wireless Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are talking to legislators, mayors, regulators, and the press about the potential of 5G wireless services as if they will cure all of the problems Americans face right now in the high-speed access market. But the cold hard reality is the newest advancements in wireless services will probably do very little about the high-speed monopolies that a majority of this country faces. According to a ground-breaking study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, more than 68 million Americans face high-speed cable monopolies today.


Corporate Speech Police Are Not the Answer to Online Hate (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/corporate-speech-police-are-not-answer-online-hate)

A coalition of civil rights and public interest groups recently issued policies they believe Internet intermediaries should adopt to try to address hate online. There’s a lot to like about these proposals; indeed, they reflect some of the principles EFF and others have supported for years—notably the opportunity for users to appeal content moderation decisions, and expanded transparency from corporate platforms, and we look forward to working together to push them forward. But there’s much to worry about too.

EFF Sues San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to Obtain Records About Use of Privacy Invasive Cell-Site Simulators (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-sues-san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-department-obtain-records-about-use-privacy)

We have sued the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to gain access to records about search warrants where cell-site simulators—devices that allow police to locate and track people by tricking their cell phones into a connection—were authorized in criminal investigations. EFF determined that the county has used cell-site simulators 231 times in the last year and filed a request under the California Public Records Act in August to obtain search warrant information for six specific searches that were made public by the DOJ. The request contained detailed information about each warrant, such as the nature of the warrants, the precise start and end dates of the warrants, and verbatim quotes about the grounds for each warrant.

Yet San Bernardino denied the EFF request, claiming it was "vague, overly broad," and didn’t describe an "identifiable record." Our lawsuit aims to shine a light on police use of cell-site simulators.
.

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12-07-2018, 05:55 PM
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"The End of Trust". Free Download (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/11/end-trust-sale-bookstores-and-free-download-now)

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12-07-2018, 05:58 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Issue #744.
Dec 7, 2018.

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Top Features

Dear Tumblr: Banning "Adult Content" Won't Make Your Site Better But It Will Harm Sex-Positive Communities (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/dear-tumblr-banning-adult-content-wont-make-your-site-better-it-will-harm-sex)

Social media platform Tumblr has announced a ban on so-called “adult content,” a move made, it seems, in reaction to Tumblr’s app being removed from the Apple app store. But while making the app more available is in theory good for Tumblr users, in practice what’s about to happen is mass censorship of communities that have made Tumblr a positive experience for so many people in the first place.

It’s notable that Tumblr’s new policy is largely in line with that of peers Facebook, Microsoft, and YouTube, all of which heavily restrict so-called “adult content.” The end result is that companies and governments are changing how users get to express themselves on the Internet. The multi-billion dollar corporate porn industry won’t go away; rather, what will are places for people to talk frankly, openly, and safely about sex and sexuality. Groups that are pushed out of mainstream discussions or find themselves attacked in mainstream spaces are once again losing their voices.



Privacy Organizations to California Lawmakers: Defend and Strengthen the California Consumer Privacy Act (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/california-lawmakers-defend-and-strengthen-california-consumer-privacy-act)

California’s data privacy law, enacted in June, is a critical step forward to protect the privacy and security of technology users’ data. EFF is one of fifteen privacy organizations calling on the state’s legislators to defend and continue to improve the California Consumer Privacy Act this year.

The law has already become a target of industries that wish to weaken its effects and make it easier to get around some of the law’s most important protections. We join our allies in asking California’s lawmakers to:

Oppose efforts to carve out more exceptions for particular types of data use.
Fight attempts to add loopholes that weaken people’s ability to “say no” to data collection.
Reject efforts to weaken people’s ability to download and access their own data.
Protect specific data privacy and security protections for children and teens.


Yes, the EU's New #CopyrightDirective is All About Filters (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/11/yes-eus-new-copyrightdirective-all-about-filters)

Article 13 is potentially only a few weeks away from officially becoming an EU directive, controlling the Internet access of more than 500,000,000 Europeans. Its proponents have a problem, though: filters don't work, they cost a lot, they underblock, they overblock, they are ripe for abuse (basically, all the objections the Commission's experts raised the first time around). So they've spun, distorted and obfuscated its intention, and now they can be found in the halls of power, proclaiming to the politicians who'll get the final vote that "Article 13 does not mean copyright filters."

But it does.

EFF Updates

EFF Asks Court to Unseal Secret Docket in Case Involving Wiretap of Encrypted Facebook Messenger Calls (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/11/eff-asks-court-unseal-secret-docket-case-involving-wiretap-encrypted-facebook)

EFF has joined an effort to unseal court records in a groundbreaking case where the government reportedly tried to force Facebook to compromise the encryption in Facebook Messenger voice calls. According to press reports, the U.S. Department of Justice tried to get Facebook to turn over customer data and unencrypted Messenger voice calls using a wiretap order. To our knowledge, this hasn’t been done before, and it raises novel questions about modern communication providers’ duties to assist with wiretaps involving encryption.


Alameda and Contra Costa County Sheriffs Flew Drones Over Protests (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/alameda-and-contra-costa-county-sheriffs-flew-drones-over-protests)

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office had drones at the ready on the scene for many high-profile protests in Berkeley and on the University of California Berkeley campus throughout 2017. Just to the north, the Contra Costa County Sheriff deployed drones over immigrant rights rallies outside the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, California, which houses detainees for ICE.

Sacramento County Welfare Division Terminates Automated License Plate Reader Program (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/sacramento-county-welfare-division-terminates-automated-license-plate-reader)

The Sacramento County’s Department of Human Assistance (DHA) is terminating its invasive automated license plate reader (ALPR) program, following an EFF investigation that found the agency was accessing driver data to investigate welfare recipients without enacting the basic civil liberties safeguards required by California law.


MiniLinks

Find Us One More Shot (https://medium.com/@tracyrosenberg/find-us-one-more-shot-22b2efd4244d)

A new lawsuit alleges that Shotspotter, a manufacturer of police spy tech, falsified records to justify a police shooting. We look forward to the court’s examination of the system’s reliability. (Medium)






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Top Features
Copyright Week 2019 (https://www.eff.org/copyrightweek)

Each day this week, EFF and allied groups are hosting discussions about principles that should guide copyright policy. On Monday, we looked at how copyright can be a tool of censorship. Case in point: the makers of a much-criticized movie about a Nazi-era romance, Where Hands Touch, chose to react to video criticism by filing unjustified takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA.

On Tuesday, we looked at how the DMCA is being used to undermine ownership of technological devices—preventing users from jailbreaking a phone, or re-programming a scooter. On Wednesday, we examined some good news: the growth of the public domain, which on January 1st expanded for the first time in 20 years.

2018 In Review (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/2018-review)

In 2018, digital privacy and free speech were front-and-center in the public conversation. We continued our tradition of writing year-end blog posts about the most important developments in this space. The past year saw advances for state-level net neutrality, with four states, including California, passing net neutrality laws. The Carpenter v. United States case was one of our big legal wins of the year, as the U.S. Supreme Court cited EFF’s amicus brief in deciding that cell phone location information is protected by the Fourth Amendment.

Other posts cover the dawn of the GDPR (Europe’s new digital privacy law), how we’re grappling with monopoly power (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/2018-review-wrangling-monopolies) in the online world, and EFF’s new logo.

EFF Updates

The Internet is Facing a Catastrophe For Free Expression and Competition: You Could Tip The Balance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/internet-facing-catastrophe-free-expression-and-competition-only-europeans-can)

The new EU Copyright Directive is progressing at an alarming rate. This week, the EU is asking its member-states to approve new negotiating positions for the final language. If you live in Europe, let your ministers know that you’re concerned that Articles 13 and 11 will lead to online censorship. So far, we’ve set up action pages for Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic—and we'll keep adding more over the coming days.

Bird Rides Inc. Demands Takedown of News Report on Lawful Re-use of Scooters (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/bird-sends-nastygram-reporter-describing-lawful-re-use-impounded-scooters)

Every now and then we have to remind someone that it's not illegal for people to report facts that they dislike. Electric scooter rental company Bird Rides, Inc. sent a "Notice of Claimed Infringement" over an article on Boing Boing about lawfully modifying scooters. Bird cites the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and implies that even writing about the issue could be illegal. It’s not.
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(Don't) Return to Sender: How to Protect Yourself From Email Tracking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/stop-tracking-my-emails)

Email senders can monitor who opens which emails, when, and what device they use to do it. There are a lot of different ways to track email, and different techniques range from marginally acceptable to atrocious. Here are some friendly suggestions to help make tracking less pervasive, less creepy, and less leaky.
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Apple Says Patent Troll Case Should Be Dismissed Because [REDACTED] but the Public Should Know Why (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/apple-says-patent-troll-case-should-be-dismissed-because-redacted-public-should)

Uniloc is one of the most active patent trolls in the world, having filed more than 170 lawsuits last year alone. But its most recent court records are so heavily redacted, it’s impossible for members of the public to know what’s going on. This month, EFF filed a motion to intervene in Uniloc v. Apple, seeking to unseal a series of documents related to whether Uniloc should be allowed to bring the case at all.
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You Should Have the Right to Sue Companies That Violate Your Privacy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/you-should-have-right-sue-companies-violate-your-privacy)

There’s a lot to like about the new California Consumer Privacy Act, but we need to work to amend its critical flaw—a lack of a private right of action. Consumer enforcement is part of EFF’s “bottom-up” approach to public policy.
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Give Up the Ghost: A Backdoor by Another Name (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/give-ghost-backdoor-another-name)

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the UK’s counterpart to the National Security Agency (NSA), has proposed a method of eavesdropping in which a company would be required to convert a 1-on-1 conversation into a group chat—with the government as the third member of the chat. The so-called “ghost” proposal is just another word for an encryption backdoor.

Announcements
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Job Openings
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MiniLinks


Our Cellphones Aren’t Safe (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/opinion/cellphones-security-spying.html)

Cellular communication infrastructure is woefully insecure, and we are doing nothing to fix it. EFF Senior Staff Technologist Cooper Quintin explains some of the resultant dangers in an op-ed. (New York Times)

100 Days for Alaa (https://freealaa.net/en/about)

Alaa Abd El Fattah has been imprisoned for five years—for organizing a protest. When he’s released in March, he will face an additional five-year “parole” that will require him to spend each night in a police station. Organizations are re-focusing attention on Alaa and his case as his release date approaches. (100 Days for Alaa)
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January 1, 2019 is (finally) Public Domain Day (https://law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2019/)

Works from 1923 are open to all! Newly joining the public domain are films such as The Ten Commandments, and comedies featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. It’s the first time the public domain has grown in 20 years. (Center for the Study of the Public Domain)

San Bernardino County Sheriff's electronic surveillance use continues to surge (https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2019/01/10/san-bernardino-county-sheriffs-department-searches-electronic-property-up/2542376002/)

San Bernardino County’s already high electronic surveillance rate continues to surge. EFF has filed a lawsuit demanding records over this department’s extraordinary use of surveillance. (Palm Springs Desert Sun)

In 2019, your tattoo could get you arrested (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/in-2019-your-tattoo-could-get-you-arrested)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has completed testing on a tattoo-matching system that could be used to finger criminal suspects, and found that its algorithm is only 67.9 percent accurate—and that’s before factoring in the possibility of “false positives.” (Washington Examiner)




About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

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Top Features

Victory! Illinois Supreme Court Protects Biometric Privacy (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/victory-illinois-supreme-court-protects-biometric-privacy)

The collection and use of biometric data gets more widespread and invasive each year. That’s why it’s more important than ever to advocate for—and defend—robust privacy laws in this space.

The Illinois Biometric Privacy Act, or BIPA, is the strongest biometric privacy law in the United States. Last week, in Rosenbach v. Six Flags, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected an amusement park’s argument that violation of a privacy statute is a mere “technical violation.” The plaintiff in that case, a 14-year-old who says his thumbprint was collected without his informed consent, will be allowed to move forward with a lawsuit.

EFF, along with ACLU, CDT, and other allied groups, filed an amicus brief asking for a strong interpretation of BIPA. We’ve been resisting big business efforts to gut BIPA for years now, and we’re glad the Illinois Supreme Court agreed with us in this case.

It could have major ramifications for a separate case against Facebook, involving biometric face surveillance, that's currently on appeal in California. Like the defendant in the Illinois case, Facebook is arguing that losing one’s privacy rights isn’t enough to support a lawsuit, and that a plaintiff must show additional harm in order to sue. Hopefully, the strong result in Rosenbach shuts down that flawed argument once and for all.

Washington Post Tries to Take Down Parody Site (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/washington-post-tries-take-down-parody-site-announcing-trumps-resignation-0)

If you were in Washington D.C. earlier this month, you might have passed by folks on the street passing out a parody newspaper spoofing The Washington Post. The comedic newspaper, created by the group the Yes Men, has a joke lead story about Donald Trump fleeing the White House in an “Unpresidented” move.

The parody paper, which was dated May 1, 2019, also featured unlikely articles such as a media apology for Donald Trump’s rise to power, and a fictional timeline of Trump’s rise and fall.

But The Washington Post’s lawyers didn’t get the joke. They called the parody an act of trademark infringement, and raised copyright threats. EFF wrote back on behalf of the Yes Men, explaining that political speech has strong protections from trademark claims, which aren’t supposed to be used to policing other peoples’ language. The parody paper is still online, where it belongs.

EFF Updates
A Surveillance Wall Is Not a Good Alternative to a Concrete Wall (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/surveillance-wall-not-good-alternative-concrete-wall)

If there’s one political dynamic that’s become perfectly clear in 2019, it’s this: President Trump is calling for a physical wall to be built along the U.S. southern border. Trump's political opponents, and many other groups, oppose that wall.

In response, some congressional Democrats have suggested building up a kind of virtual wall, built on surveillance technology. They’d like to expand social media screening, deploy drones, scan license plates (and not just from cars crossing the border), and even collect DNA from immigrants. All of these methods raise serious privacy concerns.

At EFF, we’re staying focused on making sure any new border measure protects the essential liberties of both U.S. residents and foreign visitors. The border shouldn't be treated like a Constitution-free zone.

Article 13 and 11 Update: Even The Compromises are Compromised In This Copyright Trainwreck (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/article-13-and-11-update-even-compromises-are-compromised-copyright-trainwreck)

Some European negotiators are still hoping to pass Article 13 and 11, which would impose online copyright filters, as well as licensing requirements for quoting snippets of news. More than four million Europeans have publicly opposed the directive, along with copyright and technical experts and journalists. Even big movie studios and sports leagues have backed away.

We're not out of the woods yet. Our sources tell us that it's just barely possible that if an agreement is reached before February 14, legislation could be vetted, translated, and presented for a vote before EU elections this spring. Keep up the pressure!


EFF Client Responds to Ludicrous 'Collusion' Trademark Threat (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/eff-client-responds-ludicrous-collusion-trademark-threat)

Sometimes trademark owners seem to think that they own ordinary words. In this case, U.K. clothing giant Asos sent a cease and desist letter [PDF] to an EFF client for registering a domain with the word “collusion” in it. Our client’s domain, collusion.so, has nothing to do with clothes—it’s about contemporary U.S. political debates. It’s about as far from trademark infringement as possible.

The case has its origins in typographical errors made on Twitter by Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor and current attorney to President Donald Trump. Giuliani's typos inadvertently created new URLs, and Twitter users creatively re-directed those newly famous web links to locations of their choosing.

EFF sent a response letter, explaining that there’s no real trademark claim here. Asos quickly apologized, saying that the letter, signed by its outside law firm, should “never have been sent” and assuring us it would take no further action against our client. We’re glad for the apology and hope the whole episode serves as a notice to others who might make overbroad trademark threats.

Victory: Federal Court in Seattle Will Begin Disclosing Surveillance Records (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/victory-federal-court-seattle-will-begin-disclosing-surveillance-records)

Federal investigators in Seattle will begin tracking and docketing their warrantless surveillance requests, under an agreement reached after EFF client The Stranger brought a petition to unseal those records. They’ll also issue reports every six months detailing the surveillance requests.

The reports will include case numbers and the main crime being investigated each time the government uses warrantless surveillance. Until now, there’s been no public docket at all on these cases. Now, the public will learn basic details about the requests, and can also request to unseal specific cases.


EFF responds to Mark Zuckerberg’s WSJ editorial (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/wsj-op-ed-mark-zuckerberg-speaks-down-users-and-misses-point)

A misleading Wall Street Journal op-ed by Mark Zuckerberg hits some familiar points in justifying Facebook’s business model. Users don’t need to submit to massive data harvesting to see “relevant ads,” for one thing. And while Zuckerberg calls for government regulation that codifies “transparency, choice, and control,” Facebook is fighting to weaken the most important state privacy laws, like Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, and California’s Consumer Privacy Act.

MiniLinks

Police license plate readers are still exposed on the Internet
(https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/22/police-alpr-license-plate-readers-accessible-internet/)
Cameras that can read license plates are scattered throughout the U.S., used mostly by police departments. What’s worse, some of those cameras are connected to the Internet, easily identifiable, and leaking sensitive data about vehicles and their drivers. (TechCrunch)


It’s Time for Action on Privacy, Says Apple’s CEO Tim Cook (http://time.com/collection/davos-2019/5502591/tim-cook-data-privacy/)

Even the CEO of a global tech icon agrees: “We all deserve control over our digital lives. That’s why we must rein in the data brokers.” (Time)



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

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Issue #747.February 20, 2019.

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Top Features

Trolls Are Real (https://act.eff.org/action/save-alice-tell-the-patent-office-to-apply-supreme-court-law)

In most issues of EFFector, we give an overview of all the work we’re doing at EFF. Today, in light of recent developments at the U.S. Patent Office, we’re doing a deep dive into a single issue: recent changes to the patent system, and how it’s in danger of heading backwards.

The patent system is broken. The U.S. Patent Office has been issuing vague, overbroad patents for years, especially relating to software. And now the Patent Office is threatening to open the door to even more low-quality software patents. Please join us in telling them to abandon this misguided plan.

Take Action

There are hundreds of “patent troll” companies that exploit our patent system. Today, patent trolls file the majority of high-tech patent lawsuits, covering commonly-used technology from podcasts to newspapers to virtual reality. These companies and individuals produce no products or services—instead, they simply collect patents, and demand money from those working to innovate.

After years of complaints about frivolous patent claims, both Congress and the courts made small steps in the right direction. In a case called Alice v. CLS Bank, the Supreme Court barred patents that claim abstract ideas simply by adding computer language. Congress passed the America Invents Act, which allows the public to challenge patents at the Patent Office in a process called “inter partes review.”

Reforms Under Fire

Now, both Alice and the IPR process are under attack. The new Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Andre Iancu, denies that patent trolls are a problem at all—he called them “monster stories.” The Patent Office has issued new guidance to patent examiners, encouraging them to make an end-run to get around the rules of Alice. This could take us back to the bad old days, opening the floodgates to even more of the overbroad software patents that already plague the system.

At the same time, lobbyists are working to weaken Section 101 of the U.S. patent laws. That’s the section that we rely on to kick many of the worst patents out of the system—without going through jury trials that can cost millions of dollars. Lobbyists for patent trolling companies are on the same side as big corporate patent-holders.

If you care about a patent system that doesn’t trample on and extort small developers and business owners, now is the time to speak up. First, check out our Take Action page, and tell the U.S. Patent Office to stop trying to get around the Alice rules. Also, if you’ve personally been affected by bad patents or patent trolls, and are willing to speak out about it, get in touch with us at EFF. We’ll need your help as this debate moves forward—Congress has to hear from those who want a balanced patent system, not one that works just for licensing companies and giant patent-holders.
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EFF Updates
Call to Action: Tell the Patent Office Not to Reopen the Software Patent Floodgates (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/call-action-tell-patent-office-not-reopen-software-patent-floodgates)

Until the Alice v. CLS Bank decision, the U.S. Patent Office had been issuing tens of thousands of abstract software patents. All too often, these patents described everyday culture or business relationships, and then added “do-it-on-a-computer” language describing generic computer hardware and software.

The Alice decision made it clear that abstract ideas can’t be patented just by adding computer language. Unfortunately, new guidance issued by the U.S. Patent Office could undermine the Alice ruling. The guidance downplays rulings that find software-related patent claims ineligible, exaggerates the importance of a few rulings that have allowed software claims, and asks examiners to review applications in a way that is inconsistent with Alice.

Rather than fairly representing all sides, the Patent Office is putting its thumb on the scale in favor of patent applicants, at the public’s expense.

We’re asking EFF supporters to weigh in and tell the Patent Office that creating new rules to bypass a Supreme Court ruling is unacceptable. You can submit a comment on our action page from now through the close of the comment period on March 6.
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Announcements
Refiguring the Future Exhibition
(https://www.eff.org/event/refiguring-future-exhibition)
Eyebeam, a local organization in the Electronic Frontier Alliance (not EFF) will host a new exhibition (Feb. 8-March 31) offering a politically engaged and inclusive vision of the intersection of art, science, and technology. The exhibition, in partnership with the REFRESH collective, is hosted by Hunter College Art Galleries.
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MiniLinks
Telecom Companies Are Seriously Overhyping 5G Networks
(https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/5g-mobile-wireless-network-hype-consumers-fcc.html)
Telecom companies are pushing misleading hype about 5G, which is still years away. 5G standards will rely on existing fiber infrastructure—and we aren’t ready for it. (Slate)

Inside the Lobbying War Over California’s Landmark Privacy Law (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/02/08/theres-going-be-fight-here-weaken-it-inside-lobbying-war-over-californias-landmark-privacy-law/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81365fc63537)

Facebook, Google, and other tech companies are lobbying to water down a California law passed last year to regulate data collection. (Washington Post)




About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/1)

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Issue #748. March 15, 2019.

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Top Features

Fix It Already: Nine Steps That Companies Should Take To Protect You (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/announcing-fix-it-already)

EFF has launched a new way to tell companies that we’re serious about the security and privacy fixes that are well-known, and eminently do-able. We’re calling it “Fix It Already,” and are asking nine different companies to bring their products in line with what consumers expect and deserve.

A few examples: Android should let users deny and revoke apps’ Internet permissions. Venmo should let users hide their friends lists. WhatsApp should stop pre-installing spyware on users’ phones. Facebook should leave your phone number where you put it.

We’ve also got suggestions for Apple, Slack, Twitter, Verizon, and Windows 10. Check out Fix It Already, and tell us—and these companies—what these issues mean to you.

Tell Congress to Stand Up for Real Net Neutrality Protections (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/tell-congress-stand-real-net-neutrality-protections)

When the FCC announced that it would repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, a historic number of Americans spoke up, sending more than 1.6 million comments to the FCC. The fight for net neutrality has continued, in states, in the courts, and in Congress.

Earlier this month, the Save the Internet Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate. The bill would restore the protections of the 2015 Open Internet Order that we fought so hard for. Competing bills that focus solely on blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization miss the point—net neutrality is about basic fairness, not just banning three specific bad acts.

Now’s the time to tell your representatives to stand up for real net neutrality.

EFF Updates
Artists Against Article 13: When Big Tech and Big Content Make a Meal of Creators, It Doesn't Matter Who Gets the Bigger Piece (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/artists-against-article-13-when-big-tech-and-big-content-make-meal-creators-it)

Article 13 is the European proposal that would make nearly every online service, community, and platform legally liable for material posted by users that infringes copyright—even if it’s up for just a few seconds.

If it passes, Article 13 will impose copyright filters that won’t stop dedicated infringers—but will have massive collateral damage. Far from protecting artists, “filters for everything” will be a bonanza for fraudsters and crooks who prey on artists.

If Article 13 passes, it’s bound to enrich large media companies, but not the artists whose works they sell. The full European Parliament will likely vote this month or next—this is our last chance to overturn this proposal.


Artists Against Article 13: When Big Tech and Big Content Make a Meal of Creators, It Doesn't Matter Who Gets the Bigger Piece

Article 13 is the European proposal that would make nearly every online service, community, and platform legally liable for material posted by users that infringes copyright—even if it’s up for just a few seconds.

If it passes, Article 13 will impose copyright filters that won’t stop dedicated infringers—but will have massive collateral damage. Far from protecting artists, “filters for everything” will be a bonanza for fraudsters and crooks who prey on artists.

If Article 13 passes, it’s bound to enrich large media companies, but not the artists whose works they sell. The full European Parliament will likely vote this month or next—this is our last chance to overturn this proposal.

The Patent Office Can’t Ignore Law it Dislikes
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/patent-office-cant-ignore-law-it-dislikes)
We asked EFF supporters last month to help save Alice v. CLS Bank, the 2014 Supreme Court decision that has helped stem the tide of stupid software patents and abusive patent litigation. The Patent Office received hundreds of comments from EFF supporters telling it to do the right thing and apply the law, not narrow it. Thank you!

The Patent Office is applying new guidance that aims to undermine Alice. Last week, EFF filed its own comments opposing the new guidance. If examiners can’t apply Alice, more invalid patents will issue. The Patent Office shouldn’t be allowed to ignore case law it dislikes. With your help, we’ll keep fighting for a system that limits patent grants to actual inventions.

The Foilies 2019 (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/foilies-2019)

EFF has published The Foilies since 2015, a set of tongue-in-cheek “awards” in which we call out attempts to block transparency and retaliate against those seeking information. We also include simply ridiculous examples of government incompetence.

This year, on Sunshine Week, we have 17 award winners—courts, government agencies, police forces, and tech companies that have done what they can to obscure and hide information that should be public.



It’s Time for California to Guarantee “Privacy for All” (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/its-time-california-guarantee-privacy-all)

It’s time to demand that the companies making money off our personal information keep it private. Last year’s California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, was a big step in the right direction. But there’s still a lot to be done. The best way forward is “Privacy for All,” a bill introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. The Privacy for All proposal builds on the foundation of CCPA to give everyone the rights, knowledge, and power to reclaim their own privacy.

EFF stands with 30 other privacy and civil rights organizations behind Privacy for All, and its commitment to protecting our fundamental right to privacy. We'll be keeping you updated as this bill moves through the legislative process.

Announcements
Portland TA3M Meetup for March (https://www.eff.org/event/portland-ta3m-meetup-march)

Portland Techno Activism 3rd Mondays, or TA3M, will host a presentation and discussion about facial recognition. This event, a combined meeting with Seattle TA3M, will start at 7:00pm at Portland's Northwest Academy.

The event is not hosted by EFF, but by Portland TA3M, a member of the Electronic Frontier Alliance.

EFF @ CRASH Space: Fighting Back Against DRM (https://www.eff.org/event/eff-crash-space-fighting-back-against-drm)

On March 20 at Los Angeles' CRASH Space, join us for a talk about how digital rights management (DRM) has impacted the hacker and tinkerer community, and how the community can fight back.

MiniLinks

Here are the data brokers quietly buying and selling your personal information (https://www.fastcompany.com/90310803/here-are-the-data-brokers-quietly-buying-and-selling-your-personal-information)

You have likely never heard of these companies, but they are hidden in the sites you visit, and are tracking your browsing behavior. (Fast Company)


The US Government Will Be Scanning Your Face At 20 Top Airports, Documents Show (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/daveyalba/these-documents-reveal-the-governments-detailed-plan-for)

US Customs and Border Protection is creating a "biometric entry-exit system" that threatens privacy on a mass scale. Much facial recognition data isn't reliable at all, and agencies haven't said how they'll protect this highly sensitive information. (BuzzFeed News)


Documents Reveal ICE Using Driver Location Data From Local Police for Deportations (https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/documents-reveal-ice-using-driver-location-data)

Local governments in places like Merced and Union City, California, are giving their residents' personal information to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), even when it violates privacy laws or sanctuary policies. (ACLU.org)


About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue 748 (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/4)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
03-29-2019, 03:34 PM
Dear Supporter of Digital Freedom,

Bad ideas about Internet policy can spread like a virus.

In one of the most contentious decisions in the European Union’s history, the European Parliament voted to approve the "link tax" and "censorship machine" proposals—Article 11 and Article 13. These proposals undermine Internet users' ability to share their work and create new limits on their ability to link, quote, and critique the news. Online rights supporters around the world are now tasked with challenging this decision and keeping public pressure on lawmakers.

Don't let these disastrous copyright policies put a stranglehold on the Internet. Help us continue to fight back.
Donate today! (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/stop-robocopyright--nd)

With this week's vote, European Parliamentarians turned their backs on hundreds of thousands of protesters and five million online petitioners by approving the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive. Lobbyists from the media establishment will try to codify this vote and carry it over to jurisdictions throughout the world, but we can’t let them. The future of free expression and the open Internet is at stake.

We have the right to be free of censorship. We shouldn’t be forced to communicate through perpetually-flawed digital filters and arbitrary licensing requirements. With the help of members from 92 countries around the world, EFF has fought these measures at every turn for nearly 30 years. Join us, and help oppose these short-sighted copyright laws that stifle free expression.

Fighting for your online rights,

Aaron Jue
EFF Development Director

calikid
04-01-2019, 06:04 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Linking is Not a Crime - EFFector 32.5.
Issue #749. March 25, 2019.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/5)

Top Features
.
The European Copyright Directive: What Is It, and Why Has It Drawn More Controversy Than Any Other Directive In EU History? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/european-copyright-directive-what-it-and-why-has-it-drawn-more-controversy-any)

This week, the European Parliament will hold a final vote on the Copyright Directive, which contains two divisive clauses—Articles 11 and 13—that will mandate the imposition of link taxes and copyright filters. These censorious, anti-news clauses have sparked a global outcry, including a petition with more than 5 million signatures, street protests in several countries, and a blackout of several Wikipedia websites, as well as German OpenStreetMap and many more sites. If you live in Europe, call your MEP now! It’s the last chance to fight this terrible proposal.
.
Congress Has a Chance to Finally End the NSA’s Mass Telephone Records Program (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/congress-has-chance-finally-end-nsas-mass-telephone-records-program)

News reports indicate that the NSA has stopped operating its massive surveillance program that collects Americans’ telephone records. Last week, we told Congress that it’s time to end the telephone records program for good. But lawmakers should do more than that—it’s time to investigate all the uses of Section 215, the law used to conduct telephone surveillance.
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EFF Updates
To Search Through Millions of License Plates, Police Should Get a Warrant (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/search-through-millions-license-plates-police-should-get-warrant)

Automated license plate readers can photograph up to 1,800 license plates every minute. One major commercial database advertises that it contains 6.5 billion plates. Such massive stores of data on where people drive inevitably contains sensitive data about where people travel. Last week, EFF filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that when police search these databases, they should get a warrant—just as would be required for GPS or cell site location information.
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Why the Debate Over Privacy Can't Rely on Tech Giants (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/why-debate-over-privacy-cant-rely-tech-giants)

How to protect consumer privacy online has become a hot debate this year, both in the states and in Congress. There are finally signs that Congress has stopped listening to just the big tech companies. At a Senate Judiciary hearing this week, representatives from Mapbox and DuckDuckGo explained how they are able to run successful businesses while still respecting user privacy. More than one senator indicated that strong state laws, like California’s Consumer Privacy Act, shouldn’t be watered down—any federal privacy law should be a floor, not a ceiling.
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MiniLinks
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Saudi Arabia: Abusive Charges Against Women Activists (https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/21/saudi-arabia-abusive-charges-against-women-activists)

Saudi Arabia has begun 11 trials against activists, most of them prominent women's rights advocates who have been detained without charges for 10 months. Authorities have leveled accusations like “suspicious contact with foreign parties.” Foreign diplomats and journalists have been barred from entering the courtroom to observe the hearings. Among those on trial is Eman Al-Nafjan, a professor of linguistics known for her bilingual blog "Saudi Woman." Al-Nafjan has been on EFF's list of offline bloggers since she was arrested in May 2018 for filming a female driver. (Human Rights Watch)
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Scooter Companies Split on Giving Real-Time Location Data to Los Angeles (https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/yw8j5x/scooter-companies-location-data-los-angeles-uber-lyft-bird-lime-permits)

Los Angeles Department of Transportation is scheduled to start enforcing data-sharing rules next month, requiring that scooter firms provide real-time location data of their scooters. Location information, especially aggregated over time, is extremely sensitive—and residents may not even be aware that it's being collected. (Motherboard)



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue 749 (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/5)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
04-12-2019, 04:31 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Who Has Your Cat? - EFFector 32.6.
In our "this is satire, right, so we don't have to worry about Article 13"th issue:
Issue #760. April 1, 2019.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/6)

Top Features
EFF Announces 2019 "Who Has Your Cat?" Results (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

In past years, EFF's annual Who Has Your Back report has asked which major tech companies "have your back" when the government comes knocking to request your data or censor your content. For 2019, EFF is changing our focus to cats—and not even when the government comes knocking. (Our research shows that if the government were to come knocking, cats would probably run and hide under the bed, or just not care, because they are cats.)

Instead, this year’s "Who Has Your Cat?" report features substantially redesigned categories and criteria. (Unfortunately, doggos, birbs, and other critters are outside the scope of this report.) We focus on a handful of specific, measurable criteria that reflect attainable best practices, which cats tend to ignore.

First, the good news—all cats assessed in this year’s report received 5 out of 5 stars on feline best practices. We look forward to more long-term improvements across the industry in future years, as cats take steps to be more accountable to themselves and absolutely no one else.

Press and members of the public wishing to discuss the results of our new survey, preferably while surrounded by small bowls of milk and bouncy loops of metal with fuzzy cloth attached, should check EFF's Instagram account. The account often contains damning evidence of cat rule-breaking in our offices.
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EFF Updates
Right to Be Forgotten Regulators To Launch "Internet of Thingummies" (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

The EU has announced the investment of six billion euros into a new alternative network that respects the right to be forgotten, including the subsidiary right of not remembering what it was you intended to do when you first started to connect to the network. "We're calling it the Internet of Thingummies, because none of us wrote down the much better name we came up with last week," announced its chief researcher, who was either Tim Berners-Lee or Vint Cerf, nobody seems entirely sure. The IoT mesh network is expected to be deployed using thousands of tiny "smart dust" transceivers smaller than a human eyelash, just as soon as anyone can recall where they last put them.
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MiniLinks
EFF Announces End of Fake News; Everything on the Internet Now True (https://www.eff.org/pages/04/01)

Technologists at the non-profit claim to have fixed the problem by editing the Wikipedia entry for "gullible."



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue 32.6 (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/6)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
04-19-2019, 08:57 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
One Step Closer to Real Net Neutrality - EFFector 32.7.
Issue #750. April 17, 2019.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/7).

Top Features.
Victory! The House of Representatives Passes Net Neutrality Protections (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/victory-house-representatives-passes-net-neutrality-protections)

Last week, the House of Representatives voted 232-190 to pass the Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644). Thank you for speaking up to tell the House to protect net neutrality! The Save the Internet Act will restore the provisions of the 2015 Open Internet Order—including privacy and competition protections—and bans against blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization.

Now we need to let the Senate hear from us. Contact your Senators today and tell them to co-sponsor the Save the Internet Act (S. 682).

FIXED: WhatsApp Rolls Out Group Privacy Settings (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/fixed-whatsapp-rolls-out-group-privacy-settings)

We launched Fix It Already last month to tell Silicon Valley companies about the privacy and security fixes they need to make right away. The campaign already has its first victory, with WhatsApp fixing its long-standing group-messaging problem. Now, WhatsApp users will be able to asked for their express consent before they are added to group messaging threads. The company says that the changes will be available to all as the next version of WhatsApp is rolled out over the next several weeks.

Now it’s time for the eight other products and platforms that we called out to catch up with WhatsApp—fix it already!
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EFF Updates.
EFF Backs Redditor in Fight to Stay Anonymous (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-backs-redditor-fight-stay-anonymous)

EFF is protecting an anonymous Reddit user against an abusive copyright claim brought by a religious group. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which is the supervising body and publisher for Jehovah’s Witnesses, has subpoenaed Reddit seeking information about a user who has posted comments and concerns about Watchtower magazine, as part of a potential copyright lawsuit. The user’s comments include copies of an advertisement, and a chart describing compliance with European privacy laws.

The posts are classic lawful fair uses—that is, legal ways to use copyrighted material without permission. EFF has filed a motion to quash Watchtower’s subpoena.

Your Fourth Amendment Rights Should Not be Limited by Terms of Service (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/your-fourth-amendment-rights-should-not-be-limited-terms-service)

Your Fourth Amendment rights shouldn’t disappear because of an email provider’s terms of service. That’s the point that EFF is arguing in our recent amicus brief in U.S. v. Wilson, a federal appellate case.

Email and other electronic communications contain the most personal details of our lives. Almost all courts that have squarely addressed the issue have found that emails, texts, and other electronic communications are protected from warrantless searches by the Fourth Amendment.

But in the Wilson case, a district court reasoned that the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply if an email user violates a provider’s terms of service. The Ninth Circuit should reject such a sweeping invalidation of constitutional rights, and we look forward to the court’s decision.

MiniLinks.

It’s Your iPhone. Why Can’t You Fix It Yourself? (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/opinion/sunday/right-to-repair-elizabeth-warren-antitrust.html)

The New York Times editorial board endorses a national "Right to Repair" bill in this April 6 editorial, pointing out that a competitive landscape of independent repair shops dramatically lowers the price of maintaining everything from a tractor to an iPhone. (New York Times)

Employee privacy in the US is at stake as corporate surveillance technology monitors workers’ every move (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/15/employee-privacy-is-at-stake-as-surveillance-tech-monitors-workers.html)

Companies are collecting more data on their workers. A 2018 survey by Gartner found that 22% of organizations in various industries are using employee-movement data, and 17% are gathering workplace computer-usage data. As more consumer privacy laws take shape, will employees' concerns be passed over? (CNBC)



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue 32.7 (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/7)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
05-16-2019, 05:04 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Say no to more bad patents - EFFector 32.8.
Issue #751. May 9, 2019.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/8).

Top Features.

The Senate's New Patent Proposal Would be a Disaster for Innovation (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/tillis-coons-patent-bill-will-be-disaster-innovation)

Two Senators are working on a bill that will make the U.S. patent system much worse. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have published a framework of the intended bill, which will take out the basic requirement that patents be “new and useful.” We’re asking EFF supporters to oppose this wrongheaded proposal, which will be a boon for patent trolls and other companies that license bad patents.
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Prevent Copyright Trolling: Tell Your Representatives that Copyright Claims Can’t Be Treated Like Traffic Tickets (https://act.eff.org/action/prevent-copyright-trolling-tell-congress-that-copyright-claims-can-t-be-treated-like-traffic-tickets)

A bill that will treat certain copyright claims like traffic tickets is back. If passed, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) will be an invitation to abuse copyright law. It will allow a “Claims Officer” in the Copyright Office to award damages of up to $15,000 per work infringed, and agreements that are essentially binding injunctions. Copyright law impacts freedom of expression, and can’t be treated in such a cavalier manner. Tell your representatives to oppose the CASE Act.
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EFF Updates

End the NSA's Invasive Call Detail Records Program Once and for All (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/end-nsas-call-detail-records-program-once-and-all)

The NSA has searched through the phone records of millions of Americans since 2001, without ever having obtained a warrant. The Call Detail Records program is a massive violation of Americans’ privacy. What’s more, it’s been ineffective at its goal of aiding counterterrorism investigations, according to oversight bodies. Rather than modifying the program to comply with the law, the NSA has now chosen to stop using it, according to news reports.

We have work to do to make sure the program doesn’t come back. Join us in urging Congress to support the Ending Mass Collection of Americans’ Phone Records Act.

EFF to Tenth Circuit: First Amendment Protects Right to Record Police (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/eff-tenth-circuit-first-amendment-protects-right-record-police)

The public has a First Amendment right to record the activity of on-duty police officers. This week, we filed an amicus brief in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that argues that the use of electronic devices to record police activity increases accountability, and enhances the public discussion about police use of force and racial disparities in the justice system. The case, Frasier v. Evans, was brought by Levi Frasier, who recorded Denver police punching a suspect in the face to get drugs out of his mouth. Police retaliated by seizing Frasier’s tablet and apparently deleting the video, which was later retrieved from cloud storage.
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Announcements
CLIC presents “About Face: The Changing Landscape of Face Recognition” (https://www.eff.org/event/clic-presents-about-face-changing-landscape-face-recognition)

On May 10 in Boston, EFF Surveillance Litigation Director Jennifer Lynch will speak at a conference that explores the regulatory, legal, and human implications in facial recognition technology. The event takes place at 9:00am at Northeastern Law School.

Making it easier for everyone to get Let's Encrypt certificates with Certbot
(https://www.eff.org/event/northsec-conference-making-it-easier-everyone-get-lets-encrypt-certificates-certbot)
Certbot is EFF's tool for getting automated certificates from Let's Encrypt. Certbot makes getting certificates easier, but how much easier? And which groups of users get left behind?

On May 16 at 1:30pm, EFF's Certbot team will discuss the results of our usability studies to find out how people were using tooling around HTTPS. We'll discuss our often surprising results, and lessons we learned to make Certbot more helpful. The event is at NorthSec in Montreal, Canada.
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MiniLinks
Tech Lobbyists Push to Defang California's Landmark Privacy Law (https://www.wired.com/story/california-privacy-law-tech-lobby-bills-weaken/)

Tech leaders like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have publicly said they’re committed to privacy, but lobbying groups that represent those tech giants are pushing to weaken the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which is set to take effect in January. (Wired)
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Oregon became a testing ground for Amazon’s facial-recognition policing. But what if Rekognition gets it wrong? (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/30/amazons-facial-recognition-technology-is-supercharging-local-police/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ad8c0f6f53d8)

A county in Western Oregon has become ground zero “for a high-stakes battle over the unregulated growth of policing by algorithm.” (The Washington Post)




About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue 32.8 (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/8)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
06-03-2019, 06:47 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
When "terms of service" backfire - EFFector 32.9.
Issue #752. May 31, 2019.

VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/9).
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Top Features
TOSsed Out: Highlighting the Effects of Content Rules Online (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/tossed-out-highlighting-effects-content-rules-online)

We have launched TOSsed Out, a new iteration of EFF’s longstanding work in tracking and documenting the ways that Terms of Service (TOS) and other speech moderating rules are unevenly and unthinkingly applied to people by online services. TOSsed Out will highlight the myriad ways that all kinds of people are negatively affected by these rules and their irregular enforcement. As a result of these practices, posts are deleted and accounts banned, harming those for whom the Internet is an irreplaceable forum to express ideas, connect with others, and find support.

TOSsed Out continues in the vein of Onlinecensorship.org, which EFF launched in 2014 to collect reports from users in an effort to encourage social media companies to operate with greater transparency and accountability as they regulate speech.

Nominations Open for 2019 Barlow Awards (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/nominate-2019-pioneer)

Nominations are now open for the 2019 Barlow Awards to be presented at EFF's 28th Annual Pioneer Award Ceremony. Established in 1992, the Pioneer Award Ceremony recognizes leaders who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of technology. In honor of Internet visionary, Grateful Dead lyricist, and EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, recipients are awarded a “Barlow." Nominees must have contributed substantially to the health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based communications. Their contributions may be technical, social, legal, academic, economic or cultural. Nominations will be open until 11:59pm PDT on June 5, 2019.
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EFF Updates
Broadband Monopolies Are Acting Like Old Phone Monopolies. Good Thing Solutions to That Problem Already Exist (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/broadband-monopolies-are-acting-old-phone-monopolies-good-thing-solutions-problem)

The future of competition in high-speed broadband access looks bleak. A vast majority of homes only have their cable monopoly as their choice for high-speed broadband, and small ISPs and local governments are carrying the heavy load of deploying fiber networks that surpass gigabit cable networks. Research now shows that these new monopolies have striking similarities to the telephone monopolies of old. But we don’t have to repeat the past; we’ve already seen how laws can promote competition and break monopolies.

Victory! EFF Wins National Security Letter Transparency Lawsuit
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/victory-eff-wins-national-security-letter-transparency-lawsuit)
A federal district court in San Francisco has ruled strongly in favor of our Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records of how and when the FBI lifts gag orders issued with National Security Letters (NSLs). These records will provide a window into the FBI’s use of a highly secretive investigative tool that has been historically misused. They will also provide insight into the effectiveness of the USA Freedom Act, the national security reform law passed by Congress in 2015.

The Government’s Indictment of Julian Assange Poses a Clear and Present Danger to Journalism, the Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Speech (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/governments-indictment-julian-assange-poses-clear-and-present-danger-journalism)

The century-old tradition that the Espionage Act not be used against journalistic activities has now been broken. Seventeen new charges were filed this month against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, which make clear that he is being prosecuted for basic journalistic tasks—dropping the charade that this prosecution is only about hacking or helping in hacking. Regardless of what one thinks of Assange’s personal behavior, the indictment itself will inevitably have a chilling effect on critical national security journalism, and the dissemination in the public interest of available information that the government would prefer to hide. There can be no doubt now that the Assange indictment is an attack on the freedoms of speech and the press, and it must not stand.

MiniLinks
Jehovah’s Witness who posted criticisms on Reddit can remain anonymous, judge rules (https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Jehovah-s-Witness-who-posted-criticisms-on-13855357.php)

A federal magistrate in San Francisco has ruled that a Jehovah’s Witness whose online postings were intended to stir debate about the religion’s practices can remain anonymous, except for identification to lawyers for the religion’s Watchtower publication, which says the posting violated its copyright. (San Francisco Chronicle)


San Francisco's facial recognition ban still lets corporations spy on you (https://www.salon.com/2019/05/21/san-franciscos-facial-recognition-ban-still-lets-corporations-spy-on-you/)

While San Francisco has passed a ban on government use of facial recognition, it does not prohibit businesses or private citizens from using facial recognition systems. It is unclear where corporations will stand in the debate moving forward. (Salon)

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

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calikid
06-21-2019, 06:22 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Who Has Your Back? - EFFector.
Issue #756
June 20, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/13)
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Top Features

Who Has Your Back? (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/social-media-platforms-increase-transparency-about-content-removal-requests-many-keep)

While social media platforms are increasingly giving users the opportunity to appeal decisions to censor their posts, very few platforms comprehensively commit to notifying users that their content has been removed in the first place. That raises questions about accountability and transparency, according to EFF’s 2019 “Who Has Your Back: Censorship Edition” report. There is a wave of new government regulations and actions around the world meant to rid platforms of extremist content, but social media companies and platforms have all too often censored valuable speech in response to calls to remove objectionable content.

EFF examined the content moderation policies of 16 platforms and app stores, and only four companies—Facebook, Reddit, Apple, and GitHub—commit to notifying users when any content is censored and stating the specific legal request or community guideline violation that led to the removal.

Congress Should Pass the Protecting Data at the Border Act (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/congress-should-pass-protecting-data-border-act)

The rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution don’t fade away at the border. And yet the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asserts the power to freely search the electronic devices of travelers before allowing them entrance into, or exit from, the United States. This practice will end if Congress passes the Protecting Data at the Border Act.

Under the bipartisan Protecting Data at the Border Act, border officers would be required to get a warrant before searching a traveler’s electronic device. Last month, the bill was re-introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). It is co-sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and the House companion bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Cal.).
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EFF Updates
30 Years Since Tiananmen Square: The State of Chinese Censorship and Digital Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/30-years-tiananmen-square-state-chinese-censorship-and-digital-surveillance)

The Tiananmen Square protest is one of the most tightly censored topics in China. The Chinese government’s network and social media censorship is more than just pervasive; it’s sloppy, overbroad, inaccurate, and always errs on the side of more takedowns. Every year, the Chinese government ramps up VPN shutdowns, activist arrests, digital surveillance, and social media censorship in anticipation of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. To mark the 30th anniversary, the controls were even tighter.

Slay Monopolies With an Elegant Weapon From a More Civilized Age (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/adversarial-interoperability-reviving-elegant-weapon-more-civilized-age-slay)

Scratch the surface of most Big Tech giants and you'll find an adversarial interoperability story: Facebook grew by making a tool that let its users stay in touch with MySpace users; Google products from search to Docs and beyond depend on adversarial interoperability layers; Amazon's cloud is full of virtual machines pretending to be discrete CPUs, impersonating real computers so well that the programs running within them have no idea that they're trapped in the Matrix. Adversarial interoperability converts market dominance from an unassailable asset to a liability. And it is the consumer's bargaining chip against coercive company behavior.

EFF's Recommendations for Consumer Data Privacy Laws (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/effs-recommendations-consumer-data-privacy-laws)

Strong privacy legislation in the United States is possible, necessary, and long overdue. EFF emphasizes three concrete recommendations for proposed legislation regarding consumer data privacy. Our biggest priorities are: avoiding federal preemption, ensuring consumers have a private right of action, and using non-discrimination rules to avoid pay-for-privacy schemes. There is a daily drip-drip of bad news about how big tech companies are intruding on our privacy. It is long past time to enact new laws to protect consumer data privacy.
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MiniLinks
I’m a Judge. Here’s How Surveillance Is Challenging Our Legal System. (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/opinion/privacy-law-enforcment-congress.html)

James Orenstein, a United States magistrate judge, warns that prosecutors are often determining how far the police can go in using technology to invade people’s privacy. “Your privacy is not their highest priority,” he writes. (New York Times Opinion)

Voters back moratorium on face recognition surveillance in Mass. (https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/18/voters-back-moratorium-face-recognition-surveillance-mass/eUH62ELtgyvvOjrkcle7tI/story.html)

Nearly eight in 10 Massachusetts voters would support a moratorium on government use of face recognition surveillance, according to poll results released June 18. (Boston Globe)


About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/13)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
07-31-2019, 07:06 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Prevent Copyright Trolling - EFFector 32.11 - EFFector.
Issue #754
July 30, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/11)
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Top Features

A Bad Copyright Bill Moves Forward With No Serious Understanding of Its Dangers (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/bad-copyright-bill-moves-forward-no-serious-understanding-its-dangers)

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act, aka the CASE Act. This was without any hearings for experts to explain the huge flaws in the bill as it’s currently written. And flaws there are.

The CASE Act creates a quasi-court focused exclusively on copyright with the power to pass judgment on parties in private disputes. It encourages copyright trolling by inviting filing as many copyright claims as one can against ordinary Internet users who can be coerced into paying thousands of dollars to escape the process, whether they infringed copyright or not. Copyright law fundamentally impacts freedom of expression. People shouldn’t be funneled to a system that hands out huge damage awards with less care than a traffic ticket gets.

Fixed? The FTC Orders Facebook to Stop Using Your 2FA Number for Ads (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/fixed-ftc-orders-facebook-stop-using-your-2fa-number-ads)

Throughout this year, we have been demanding that a handful of companies fix some of their biggest privacy and security problems. For Facebook, we have taken aim at its tendency to use phone numbers for purposes contrary to what users understood or intended. Rather than face a lawsuit from FTC, Facebook agreed to stop the most egregious of these practices—agreeing not to use phone numbers provided for any security feature (like two-factor authentication, account recovery, and login alerts) for targeted advertising purposes.

But the FTC didn’t go far enough here, and Facebook continues to be able to abuse your phone number in two troubling ways. First, two-factor authentication numbers are still exposed to reverse-lookup searches. Second, the FTC’s settlement misses a whole additional category of phone numbers: “shadow” contact information, which refers to a phone number you never gave Facebook but which your friends uploaded with their contacts. While the FTC’s order may seem like a fix, it does not go far enough for us to consider it a complete victory.

EFF Updates
Don’t Let Encrypted Messaging Become a Hollow Promise (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/dont-let-encrypted-messaging-become-hollow-promise)

A secure messenger should guarantee that no one but you and your intended recipients can read your messages or otherwise analyze their contents to infer what you are talking about. Any time a messaging app has to add “unless...” to that guarantee, whether in response to legislation or internal policy decisions, it’s a sign that messenger is delivering compromised security to its users. Keeping everyone’s communications safe means making sure we don’t hand over control of our devices to companies, governments, or other third parties.


Again!? The NSA’s Phone Records Program Still Can’t Stay Within the Law (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/again-nsas-phone-records-program-still-cant-stay-within-law)

Just as the Trump administration has signaled its interest in a permanent “clean” reauthorization of the Patriot Act’s phone surveillance provision, the NSA proves once again that it is not to be trusted with these tools. New documents obtained by the ACLU and reported in the Wall Street Journal have revealed that last year the NSA once again collected phone records of Americans that it was not authorized to obtain. Section 215 is up for re-authorization in December and it's clear that it's time to let the NSA’s permission to sweep up phone records expire. If Section 215 is allowed to be reauthorized, accidents like this—in which an unthinkable amount of our personal data winds up in the hands of the government—will continue to happen.

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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/11)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
09-06-2019, 05:44 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Amazon’s Ring Threatens Privacy - EFFector 32.13 - EFFector.
Issue #756
Aug 21, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/13)
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Top Features
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Amazon’s Ring Is a Perfect Storm of Privacy Threats (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/amazons-ring-perfect-storm-privacy-threats)

Doors across the United States are now fitted with Amazon’s Ring, a combination doorbell-security camera that records and transmits video straight to users’ phones, to Amazon’s cloud—and often to the local police department. By sending photos and alerts every time the camera detects motion or someone rings the doorbell, the app can create an illusion of a household under siege. Recent reports show that Ring has partnered with police departments across the country to hawk this new surveillance system—going so far as to draft press statements and social media posts for police to promote Ring cameras. This creates a vicious cycle in which police promote the adoption of Ring, Ring terrifies people into thinking their homes are in danger, and then Amazon sells more cameras.

The rapid proliferation of this partnership between police departments and the Ring surveillance system—without any oversight, transparency, or restrictions—poses a grave threat to the privacy of all people in the community. It also may chill the First Amendment rights of political canvassers and community organizers who spread their messages door-to-door, and contribute to the unfair racial profiling of our minority neighbors and visitors.
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Opening the Door for Censorship: New Trademark Enforcement Mechanisms Added for Top-Level Domains (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/opening-door-censorship-new-trademark-enforcement-mechanisms-added-top-level)

With so much dissatisfaction over how companies like Facebook and YouTube moderate user speech, you might think that the groups that run the Internet’s infrastructure would want to stay far away from the speech-policing business. Sadly, two groups that control an important piece of the Internet’s infrastructure have decided to jump right in.

The organization that governs the .org top-level domain, known as Public Interest Registry (PIR), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) are expanding their role as speech regulators through a new agreement, negotiated behind closed doors. And they’re doing it despite the nearly unanimous opposition of nonprofit and civil society groups—the people who use .org domains. EFF is asking ICANN’s board to reconsider.
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EFF Updates

Victory! Lawsuit May Proceed Against Facebook’s Biometric Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/victory-lawsuit-may-proceed-against-facebooks-biometric-surveillance-0)

Biometric surveillance by companies against consumers is a growing menace to our privacy, freedom of expression, and civil rights. Fortunately, a federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit against Facebook for its face surveillance may move forward. This is an important victory for biometric privacy, access to the courts for ordinary people, and the role of state governments as guardians of our digital liberty.
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Victory! California Supreme Court Blocks Sweeping Search Condition of Minors’ Electronic Devices and Social Media Accounts (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/victory-california-supreme-court-blocks-sweeping-search-condition-minors)

The California Supreme Court recently rejected the government’s attempt to require a youth probationer, as a condition of release, to submit to random searches of his electronic devices and social media accounts. EFF and the ACLU filed an amicus brief in the case back in 2016, warning that the search condition imposed here was highly invasive, unconstitutional, and in violation of the California Supreme Court’s own standard for probation conditions. We also warned of the far-reaching privacy implications of allowing courts to impose such broad electronic search conditions. We’re pleased that the California Supreme Court heeded our warnings.
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MiniLinks

When Limiting Online Speech to Curb Violence, We Should Be Careful (https://www.wired.com/story/when-limiting-online-speech-to-curb-violence-we-should-be-careful/)

America's ongoing problem with mass violence—and the difficulty we are having in quelling it—is causing many to call for the elimination of online forums used by the perpetrators. It is also a critical moment to look closely at what is being proposed and pay attention to the potential consequences for us all. (Wired)





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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/13)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
10-18-2019, 03:12 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Algorithms Can’t Excuse Discrimination - EFFector 32.15 - EFFector.
Issue #759
Oct 11, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/15-0)
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Top Features

Algorithms Can't Excuse Discrimination (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/tell-hud-algorithms-are-no-excuse-discrimination)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering adopting new rules that would effectively insulate landlords, banks, and insurance companies that use algorithmic models from lawsuits that claim their practices have an unjustified discriminatory effect. HUD’s proposal is flawed, and suggests that the agency doesn’t understand how machine learning and other algorithmic tools work in practice. Algorithmic tools are increasingly relied upon to make assessments of tenants’ creditworthiness and risk, and HUD’s proposed rules will make it all but impossible to enforce the Fair Housing Act into the future.

It’s critically important that HUD hear from a variety of people about the problems their proposal raises. If you share EFF’s concerns, please use the template for comments we’ve drafted to share your concerns, and add your own personal thoughts on why this issue is so important to you.
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How to Make Sure the Tech You Use and Build Reflects Your Values (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/09/how-make-sure-tech-you-use-and-build-reflects-your-values)

Technology should empower you. It should put you in control. You should not feel used by the company that provides it to you. And if you’re a builder of technologies, we believe you should always carry the responsibility to empower your users. Ultimately you should be able to say that you are proud of what you built.

But when we regularly see headlines about how technology companies have abused our privacy or provided data for surveillance programs, it’s hard to feel like we’re in control of the technologies we use or build, much less that we have any power to change what is happening in front of us. Yet there are measures we can all take—as employees, contractors and customers—to help push companies toward becoming far better stewards for the powerful technologies they offer to the world.
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EFF Updates
The Open Letter from the Governments of US, UK, and Australia to Facebook is An All-Out Attack on Encryption (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/open-letter-governments-us-uk-and-australia-facebook-all-out-attack-encryption)

Attorney General William Barr and his counterparts in the UK and Australia have sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling him to abandon plans to embrace end-to-end encryption throughout Facebook messaging platforms. It’s a staggering attempt to undermine the privacy of communications tools used by billions of people, and EFF, along with more than one hundred other civil society groups, has urged Facebook not to comply.
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European Court’s Decision in Right To Be Forgotten Case is a Win for Free Speech (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/09/european-courts-decision-right-be-forgotten-case-win-free-s)

In a significant victory for free speech rights, the European Union’s highest court ruled that the EU’s Right to Be Forgotten does not require Google to delist search results globally, thus keeping the results available to be seen by users around the world.

The EU standard, established in 2014, lets individuals in member states demand that search engines not show search results containing old information about them when their privacy rights outweigh the public’s interest in having continued access to the information.

Announcements
International Day Against DRM (https://www.eff.org/event/international-day-against-drm-1)
At noon on Saturday October 12, come join a protest against textbook DRM at the Pearson Education building at 501 Boylston Street in Boston. This event is hosted by the Free Software Foundation, not EFF. Every year FSF's campaign Defective by Design Lab organizes the International Day Against DRM (IDAD) to mobilize protests, grassroots activism, and actions against the grave threat of DRM. This year, FSF is calling on Pearson and similar companies to stop putting a lock on our learning, and drop DRM from their electronic textbooks and course materials. Later in the day, FSF is holding a hackathon to create collaborative and DRM-free textbooks.
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Gone Phishing: How to Recognize Fake Websites and Other Online Scams (https://www.eff.org/event/gone-phishing-how-recognize-fake-websites-and-other-online-scams)

On Saturday Oct. 12, Brooklyn's Tech Learning Collective invites you to join us for a combination "attack/defense" exercise focused on Web-based social engineering attacks. Participants will practice both how to launch their own attacks as well as how to defend against them. RSVPs are requested, and sliding scale registration is available.
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MiniLinks
Tech Companies Are Quietly Phasing Out a Major Privacy Safeguard (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/09/what-happened-transparency-reports/599035/)

More and more companies are failing to issue transparency reports to tell consumers how much of their information governments have demanded. (The Atlantic)
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Secret F.B.I. Subpoenas Scoop Up Personal Data From Scores of Companies
(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/data-privacy-fbi.html)
The F.B.I. has used secret subpoenas to obtain personal data from far more companies than previously disclosed, newly released documents show. (New York Times)

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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/15-0)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
11-07-2019, 07:50 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Don’t Break Encryption - EFFector 32.16 - EFFector.
Issue #760
Nov 6, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/16)
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Top Features
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Don’t Break Encryption (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/11/why-adding-client-side-scanning-breaks-end-end-encryption)

Client-side scanning might seem like a way to screen out harmful content without breaking end-to-end encryption. But unfortunately, it’s not that simple. It's impossible to build client-side scanning without creating a censorship mechanism. As part of a messaging app, software would scan your message and check it against a database of “hashes,” or unique digital fingerprints, usually of images or videos to filter out harmful content. While it may technically maintain some properties of end-to-end encryption, client-side scanning would render the user privacy and security guarantees of encryption hollow. As a consequence, even a well-intentioned effort to build such a system will break key promises of a messenger’s encryption itself and open the door to broader abuses. Encryption is one of the best tools for people to assure their privacy from government and corporate actors.
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Facebook Faces Another Congressional Grilling
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/facebook-faces-another-congressional-grilling)
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg was called back to Capitol Hill to speak about the company’s impact on the financial and housing sectors—particularly in light of its proposal to launch a cryptocurrency wallet, Calibra, and its involvement in the creation of the Libra cryptocurrency. We’ve criticized Facebook on many fronts for years, and we share the wide ranging concerns of lawmakers who want to ensure their constituents’ privacy and rights are protected from Facebook’s abuses as it looks to expand its reach.
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The House Votes in Favor of Disastrous Copyright Bill (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/house-votes-favor-disastrous-copyright-bill)

The House of Representatives has voted in favor of the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) by 410-6 (with 16 members not voting). The CASE Act creates a new body in the Copyright Office which will receive copyright complaints, notify the person being sued, and then decide if money is owed and how much. This new Copyright Claims Board will be able to fine people up to $30,000 per proceeding. Worse, if you get one of these notices (maybe an email, maybe a letter—the law actually does not specify) and accidentally ignore it, you’re on the hook for the money with a very limited ability to appeal.
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EFF Updates
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China’s Global Reach: Surveillance and Censorship Beyond the Great Firewall (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/chinas-global-reach-surveillance-and-censorship-beyond-great-firewall)

With the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, mainland China has been undertaking pervasive attempts to disrupt and discredit the movement globally. This has including attempts to extend its so-called "Great Firewall"—a system of surveillance and blocking technology that prevents Chinese citizens from viewing websites outside the country—beyond its own borders.
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Why Fiber is Vastly Superior to Cable and 5G (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/why-fiber-vastly-superior-cable-and-5g)
By every measurement, fiber connections to homes and businesses are, by far, the superior choice for the 21st century. It is not even close. Transitioning the “last mile” into fiber will require a massive effort from industry and government—an effort the rest of the world has already started.
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Secret Court Rules That the FBI’s “Backdoor Searches” of Americans Violated the Fourth Amendment (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/secret-court-rules-fbis-backdoor-searches-americans-violated-fourth-amendment)

A series of newly unsealed rulings from the federal district and appellate courts tasked with overseeing foreign surveillance show that the FBI has been unable to comply with even modest oversight rules Congress placed on “backdoor searches” of Americans by the FBI. Instead, the Bureau routinely abuses its ability to search through this NSA-collected information for purposes unrelated to Section 702’s intended national security purposes.
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MiniLinks
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You’re in a Police Lineup, Right Now (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/opinion/facial-recognition-police.html?rref=collection/seriescollection/new-york-times-privacy-project&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection)

As part of the New York Times’ Privacy Project, Clare Garvie of the Georgetown Center on Privacy and Technology explains the harms of face recognition.
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The FBI is Still Spying on Dissent (https://rightsanddissent.org/fbi-spying/)

A new report from Defending Rights & Dissent discusses political espionage conducted by the FBI in recent years and connect that to the Bureau’s longer history of surveillance against activists.
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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/16)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
11-25-2019, 04:34 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Help EFF Challenge Ring Spokesperson Shaq Over Privacy Concerns - EFFector 32.17 - EFFector.
Issue #761
Nov 22, 2019 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/17)
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Top Features
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Help EFF Challenge Ring Spokesperson Shaq Over Privacy Concerns (https://www.eff.org/ring)

We’re challenging Ring spokesperson Shaq to a one-on-one: not on the basketball court, but across the table, so we can discuss with him how the ubiquitous surveillance facilitated by Ring and its privacy-invasive partnerships with police can harm communities. Amazon and Ring have either ignored or dismissed the growing concerns among privacy experts, activists, and communities about the rapidly expanding number of partnerships between Ring and law enforcement. Two months ago, there were under 300; currently, the number has grown to well over 600.
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Major Victory for Travelers' Privacy at the Border (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/AV19E)

A federal judge has ruled that suspicionless searches of travelers’ electronic cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices at the U.S. border are unconstitutional. This enormous win in our Alasaad v. McAleenan case will help ensure that federal agents at international airports and other U.S. ports of entry cannot turn international travel into an excuse to rifle through your private digital information without individualized suspicion. EFF fought for tech users for years before arriving at the latest victory in Alasaad, and this won’t be the last battle. Donate to EFF today and continue to protect the future of civil liberties, wherever technology leads us.
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EFF Updates
House Lawmakers Extend Section 215 into Next Year Even Though They Had Years to Stop Illegal Overcollection of Americans’ Sensitive Data (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/11/house-lawmakers-extend-section-215-next-year-even-though-they-had-years-stop)

With federal agencies set to run out of money this week, House lawmakers passed a short-term funding bill that contained a nasty surprise. Tucked into the end of this must-pass legislation, in a section titled “Other Matters,” is language reauthorizing three Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities currently set to expire on December 15, 2019. The new expiration date would be March 15, 2020. The extension of these surveillance authorities, even for three months, is bad enough. Hiding the language in the back of a must-pass funding bill shows a patent disregard for the importance of this issue.
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The Council of Europe Shouldn’t Throw Out Our Privacy Rights Just to Speed Up Police Access (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/11/council-europe-shouldnt-throw-out-our-privacy-rights-just-speed-police-access)

Foreign police often want to investigate a crime by gathering potential evidence from Internet companies located in another country. What if police in Poland want to get a user’s data from an ISP in Germany, Philippines, Japan—or vice versa? Can they do this? Under what rules, and with what kind of oversight?
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MiniLinks
Police can keep Ring camera video forever and share with whomever they’d like, Amazon tells senator (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/19/police-can-keep-ring-camera-video-forever-share-with-whomever-theyd-like-company-tells-senator/)

Police officers who download videos captured by homeowners’ Ring doorbell cameras can keep them forever and share them with whomever they’d like without providing evidence of a crime, the Amazon-owned firm told a lawmaker this month.
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Moscow’s Campaign against facial recognition (https://bancam.ru/en)

Russian organization Roskomsvoboda and a Russian civil rights attorney have launched a lawsuit, petition, and public campaign to get a moratorium on the Russian government's use of face recognition.

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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/17)in it's entirety.

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calikid
02-02-2020, 04:54 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Don't Sell Out Nonprofits - EFFector 32.18
EFFector Issue #762
Feb 2, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/18)
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Top Features

Nonprofits Are Not For Sale (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/icann-needs-ask-more-questions-about-sale-org)

Over 21,000 people, 600 organizations, and now several senators have asked ICANN—the organization that regulates the Internet's domain name system—to halt a $1 billion deal that would turn control over the .ORG domain registry to private equity. We need your help to tell ICANN: .ORGs are not for sale. Before any change in who operates the .ORG registry can take place, the nonprofits and non-governmental organizations that make .ORG their home must be given a voice, and ICANN must answer important questions about the deal.
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Iranian Tech Users Are Getting Knocked Off the Web by Ambiguous Sanctions (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/iranian-tech-users-are-getting-knocked-web-sanctions)

American tech companies are currently acting on sanctions through an overbroad lens, making it much harder for Iranian people to be able to share their stories with each other and with the broader world.
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Top Apps Invade User Privacy By Collecting and Sharing Personal Data, New Report Finds (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/new-report-exposes-adtech-invading-our-privacy)

A new report, called Out of Control: How Consumers Are Exploited by the Online Advertising Industry, published by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC), looks at the hidden side of the data economy and its findings are alarming. The NCC report shows that a huge surveillance industry has built up around us. Instead, we need a user-oriented tech ecosystem that does not treat user data like a free resource to be exploited. To build alternative solutions to the incumbent online advertising systems, we need new laws that create strong privacy rights.
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EFF Updates
Ten Questions—And Answers—About the California Consumer Privacy Act (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ten-questions-and-answers-about-california-consumer-privacy-act)

EFF has spent the past year defending this law in the California legislature, but we realize that not everyone has been following it as closely as we have. So here are answers to ten frequently asked questions we’ve heard about the CCPA.
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Virginia Needs a Strong Anti-SLAPP Law to Stop Bogus Lawsuits (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/virginia-needs-strong-anti-slapp-law-stop-bogus-lawsuits)

If you live in Virginia, now’s a chance for a big step forward. Tell your lawmaker you want to pass H.B. 759, and protect free speech in Virginia.
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No Digital Surveillance of Iranians at the U.S. Border—Or Within the U.S.
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/no-digital-surveillance-iranians-us-border-or-within-us)
EFF strongly opposes any targeting of people for digital surveillance based on their race, religion, or nationality, at our border and in our interior. And we remind all members of the public to practice surveillance self-defense.
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Ring Throws Customers Under the Bus After Data Breach (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/12/ring-throws-customers-under-bus-after-data-breach)

Ring is attempting to place the blame for recent security breaches squarely at the feet of their customers for reusing passwords, using weak passwords, and not turning on two-factor authentication. The truth is that Ring itself deserves the largest share of blame for every attack that their users have suffered.
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The German Constitutional Court Will Revisit the Question of Mass Surveillance, Will the U.S.? (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/german-constitutional-court-will-revisit-question-mass-surveillance-will-us)

A recent constitutional challenge launched by a coalition of activist and media groups could change mass surveillance in Germany. Will the court’s decision have any impact on surveillance in the United States?
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The Fight Against Government Face Surveillance: 2019 Year in Review
(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/12/year-fight-against-government-face-surveillance)
If 2018 was the year of communities standing together in the fight for democratic control over whether or not police may acquire surveillance technology, 2019 was the year that many of these same communities led the charge to ban government face surveillance.
.

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/17)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
04-02-2020, 03:39 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
At home with EFF - EFFector 32.21
EFFector Issue #765
April 2, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/21)
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Top Features

At Home with EFF: An Online Discussion of COVID-19 and Digital Rights (https://www.eff.org/event/at-home-with-eff-covid19)
Please join EFF this Thursday, April 2, at 5pm Pacific time, for a live discussion about digital rights in the COVID-19 crisis

The pandemic has made obvious how important the Internet and digital tools are to our lives and how vital it is that we maintain an open and secure approach to them. Join EFF for a live-streamed video discussion about what we’ve seen that’s surprising us, and worrying us, about how governments, hospitals, tech companies, and individuals are fighting the spread of coronavirus, from open access science to cell phone tracking.
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Tell Congress: Oppose the U.S.-U.K. Cloud Act Deal (https://act.eff.org/action/tell-congress-oppose-the-u-s-u-k-cloud-act-deal-a068ecf9-1da5-4885-b02f-b708c189e573)
The U.S. is just a few months away from entering into an agreement that will allow police from the United Kingdom to get information from U.S. Internet companies—without a warrant or any other prior approval from a judge. This agreement between the U.S. and U.K. represents a serious threat to online privacy. Tell Congress to put a stop to it.
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EFF Updates
Now More Than Ever, Prisoners Should Have Some Access to Social Media (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/now-more-ever-inmates-should-have-some-access-social-media)
COVID-19 has trapped many of us in our homes, isolating us from family and friends and limiting our movements. But there are few people who feel the isolating impacts of COVID-19 more acutely than those who are actually incarcerated* in jails and prisons across the country. It’s especially important to hear inmates in this moment, given the heightened risk COVID-19 poses to the incarcerated.
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Members of Congress Once Again Urge ICANN to Save Dot Org (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/members-congress-once-again-urge-icann-save-dot-org)
As the proposed sale of the .ORG domain registry to private equity firm Ethos Capital plays out, we see more and more why this sale was rushed through: the longer we have to look at it, the more questions we all have, and the fewer answers we get. For the second time, some of the people questioning the wisdom of this sale are members of the U.S. Congress.
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MiniLinks
As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-surveillance-tracking-privacy.html)
Tracking entire populations to combat the pandemic now could open the doors to more invasive forms of government snooping later.
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Justice Department audit finds widespread flaws in FBI surveillance applications (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/31/justice-department-audit-finds-widespread-flaws-in-fbi-surveillance-157166)
A recent audit shows exactly what we expected to find: flaws in how the FBI applies for surveillance powers.

.

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/21)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
06-05-2020, 04:06 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.
At home with EFF - EFFector 32.22
EFFector Issue #766
May 15, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/22)
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Top Features

Victory! ICANN Rejects .ORG Sale to Private Equity Firm Ethos Capital (Victory! ICANN Rejects .ORG Sale to Private Equity Firm Ethos Capital In a stunning victory for nonprofits and NGOs around the world working in the public interest, ICANN roundly rejected Ethos Capital’s plan to transform the .ORG domain registry into a heavily indebted for-profit entity. This is an important victory that recognizes the registry’s long legacy as a mission-based, not-for-profit institution protecting the interests of thousands of organizations and the people they serve.)

In a stunning victory for nonprofits and NGOs around the world working in the public interest, ICANN roundly rejected Ethos Capital’s plan to transform the .ORG domain registry into a heavily indebted for-profit entity. This is an important victory that recognizes the registry’s long legacy as a mission-based, not-for-profit institution protecting the interests of thousands of organizations and the people they serve.
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Download Our Free eBook: EFF's Guide to Digital Rights During the Pandemic (https://www.eff.org/pages/guide-digital-rights-pandemic)

As part of EFF’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve edited and compiled our thoughts on digital rights and the pandemic into an ebook: EFF’s Guide to Digital Rights and the Pandemic. To get the ebook, you can make an optional contribution to support EFF’s work, or you can download it at no cost. We released the ebook under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits sharing among users.
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Governments Shouldn’t Use 'Centralized' Proximity Tracking Technology (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/05/governments-shouldnt-use-centralized-proximity-tracking-technology)

Companies and governments across the world are building and deploying a dizzying number of systems and apps to fight COVID-19. Many groups have converged on using Bluetooth-assisted proximity tracking for the purpose of exposure notification. Centralized systems are unlikely to be more effective than decentralized alternatives. They will create massive new databases of human behavior that are going to be difficult to secure, and more difficult to destroy once this crisis is over.
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EFF Updates
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The Patent Office Is 'Adjusting' to a Supreme Court Ruling by Ignoring It (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/05/patent-office-adjusting-supreme-court-ruling-ignoring-it)

According to a new report from the U.S. Patent Office, examiners are granting more patents and rejecting fewer than they did when they were following a 2014 Supreme Court decision. For people who work with technology, the Patent Office’s self-congratulatory report is bad news. It means there will be more abstract software patents, and more patent trolls who exploit them.
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The EARN IT Act Violates the Constitution (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/earn-it-act-violates-constitution)

We’ve explained how the EARN IT Act could be used to drastically undermine encryption. Although the bill doesn’t use the word “encryption” in its text, it gives government officials like Attorney General William Barr the power to compel online service providers to break encryption or be exposed to potentially crushing legal liability. The bill also violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech and privacy.
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Using Drones to Fight COVID-19 is the Slipperiest of All Slopes (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/05/using-drones-fight-covid-19-slipperiest-all-slopes)

As governments search in vain for a technological silver bullet that will contain COVID-19 and allow people to safely leave their homes, officials are increasingly turning to drones. Any current buy-up of drones would constitute a classic example of how law enforcement and other government agencies often use crises in order to justify the expenditures and negate the public backlash that comes along with buying surveillance equipment.
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MiniLinks
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Would You Sacrifice Your Privacy to Get Out of Quarantine? (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-pandemic-privacy-civil-liberties-911/609172/)

Panic and crisis often cloud our judgment about what's in the public interest. Governments were able to implement invasive technologies after 9/11 by claiming they made us safer even when that wasn't demonstrated, says EFF executive director Cindy Cohn. (The Atlantic)
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How Fashion Designers Are Outsmarting Facial Recognition Surveillance. ([/SIZE])

Watch Reason's latest mini-doc about how activism and fashion are being used to push back against the surveillance state, featuring Adversarial Fashion's Kate Rose and EFF's Dave Maass (Reason)
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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/22)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
07-05-2020, 03:42 PM
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EFF Has Your Back--Online and In the Streets - EFFector 32.23
EFFector Issue #767
June, 24, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/23)
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Top Features

Digital Rights and the Black-led Movement Against Police Violence (https://www.eff.org/issues/digital-rights-and-black-led-movement-against-police-violence)

EFF has been working tirelessly to support the digital rights of protestors fighting for justice—and to make sure that technology works for them, not against them. On this page you will find a pictorial guide of what surveillance police may be using at protests, a guide to staying safe both physically and digitally, instructions on how to get an attorney referral from EFF, a quick explainer on cell phone surveillance, an explanation of your constitutional right to film police, and much more.
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Nominations Open for 2020 Barlows! (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/nominations-open-2020-barlows)

Here's your chance to nominate your favorite digital rights luminary for this year's Barlows to be presented at EFF's 29th Annual Pioneer Award Ceremony! Established in 1992, the Pioneer Award Ceremony recognizes leaders who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of technology. Their contributions may be technical, social, legal, academic, economic or cultural. The nomination window will be open until 11:59pm Pacific time on June 30, 2020. You could nominate the next Barlow winner today!
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EFF UPDATES
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Join us Thursday, June 25, for At Home with EFF: Pride Edition (https://www.eff.org/event/eff-home-pride-month-edition)

This Pride Month edition of our regular livestream series will feature the voices of different leaders from LGBTQ movements around the globe.
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A Quick and Dirty Guide to Cell Phone Surveillance at Protests (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/quick-and-dirty-guide-cell-phone-surveillance-protests)

Whenever protesters, cell phones, and police are in the same place, protesters should worry about cell phone surveillance. Often, security practitioners or other protesters respond to that worry with advice about the use of cell-site simulators (also known as a CSS, IMSI catcher, Stingray, Dirtbox, Hailstorm, fake base station, or Crossbow) by local law enforcement. But often this advice is misguided or rooted in a fundamental lack of understanding of what a cell-site simulator is, what it does, and how often they are used.
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Amazon Ring Must End Its Dangerous Partnerships With Police (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/amazon-ring-must-end-its-dangerous-partnerships-police)

This is a historic moment of reckoning for law enforcement. Technology companies, too, must rethink how the tools they design and sell to police departments minimize accountability and exacerbate injustice. Even worse, some companies profit directly from exploiting irrational fears of crime that all too often feed the flames of police brutality. So we’re calling on Amazon Ring, one of the worst offenders, to immediately end the partnerships it holds with over 1300 law enforcement agencies.
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MINILINKS
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MiniLinks
Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/technology/facial-recognition-arrest.html)

The New York Times explores the case of the Detroit man arrested after being misidentified by face recognition (New York Times).
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Nextdoor Eliminates its Forward to Police program (https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/20/21297876/nextdoor-forward-police-racism-messages)

The neighbor app that has been accused of rousing suspicion and enabling police harassment has ended its function that allows users to forward information directly to police. (The Verge)


About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/23)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
09-08-2020, 04:09 PM
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Surveillance Shouldn’t Be a Prerequisite for an Education - EFFector 32.25
EFFector Issue #768
Sept 8, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/25)
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Top Features
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Proctoring Apps Subject Students to Unnecessary Surveillance (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/08/proctoring-apps-subject-students-unnecessary-surveillance)

The use of proctoring apps—privacy-invasive software products that “watch” students as they take tests or complete schoolwork—has skyrocketed. These apps make a seductive promise: that schools can still rely on high-stakes tests, where they have complete control of a student's environment, even during remote learning. But that promise comes with a huge catch. These apps violate student privacy, negatively impact some populations, and will likely never fully stop creative students from outsmarting the system.
(https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2017/09/20/creative-ways-students-try-cheat-online-exams)
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EFF Launches Searchable Database of Police Agencies and the Tech Tools They Use to Spy on Communities (https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-launches-searchable-database-police-agencies-and-tech-tools-they-use-spy)

In partnership with the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, we’ve launched the largest-ever collection of searchable data on police use of surveillance technologies—with a map and a database of over 5300 datapoints. Learn about facial recognition, drones, license plate readers, and other devices law enforcement agencies are acquiring to spy on our communities.
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The New EARN IT Bill Still Threatens Encryption and Free Speech (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/new-earn-it-bill-still-threatens-encryption-and-free-speech)

The whole idea behind Section 230 is to make sure that you are responsible for your own speech online—not someone else’s. Currently, if a state prosecutor wants to bring a criminal case related to something said or done online, or a private lawyer wants to sue they must seek out the actual speaker in most cases. They can’t just haul a website owner into court because of the user’s actions. But that will change if EARN IT passes. Once websites lose Section 230 protections, they’ll take drastic measures to mitigate their exposure. That will limit free speech across the Internet.
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EFF Updates
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Victory! EFF Defends Public’s Right to Access Court Records About Patent Ownership (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/08/victory-eff-defends-publics-right-access-court-records-about-patent-ownership)

The public’s right of access to court proceedings is well-established as a legal principle, but it needs constant defending. In part, that’s because private parties keep asking publicly-funded courts to resolve their disputes in secret. As we and others have written before, this problem is especially great in patent cases, where parties on opposite sides of a case often agree with each other to keep as much of the litigation as possible hidden from view.
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Report: San Francisco Police Accessed Business District Camera Network to Spy on Protestors (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/san-francisco-police-accessed-business-district-camera-network-spy-protestors)

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) conducted mass surveillance of protesters at the end of May and in early June using a downtown business district's camera network, according to new records obtained by EFF. The records show that SFPD received real-time live access to hundreds of cameras as well as a "data dump" of camera footage amid the ongoing demonstrations against police violence.
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University App Mandates Are the Wrong Call (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/university-app-mandates-are-wrong-call)

As students, parents, and schools prepare the new school year, universities are considering ways to make returning to campus safer. Some are even mandating that students install COVID-related technology on their personal devices, but this is the wrong call.
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EFF and 45 Human Rights and Civil Liberties Groups Condemn Federal Law Enforcement Actions Against Protesters in Portland (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/eff-and-45-human-rights-and-civil-liberties-groups-condemn-federal-law-enforcement)

EFF joined dozens of other groups in a letter condemning the behavior of federal law enforcement agencies in Portland, Oregon. Despite the wishes of Portland officials, the federal government deployed law enforcement, including U.S. Marshals and Customs and Border Protection officers. The federal government officially explained these actions as an effort to protect federal buildings, but it appears to be a militarized counter-insurgent effort to suppress protesters and the residents of Portland.
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MiniLinks
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Face masks are breaking facial recognition. Good. (The Verge) (https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/28/21344751/facial-recognition-face-masks-accuracy-nist-study)

This article explores the ways in which masks and face coverings increase the error rates in facial recognition systems.
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History shows that efforts to control infectious disease through policing and incarceration have undermined public health aims and exacerbated racial disparities. (Washington Post) (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/08/10/problem-with-asking-police-enforce-public-health-measures/)

No surprise: It will increase racial disparities in policing. History teaches us that when we rely on law enforcement to police public health, we will re-entrench inequality.
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The NSA is advising its employees to limit location services on smart phones. For once we agree. (The Hill) (https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/510519-nsa-warns-of-security-threats-from-mobile-location-data)

The NSA "rolled out guidance warning that location data from mobile and other internet-connected devices could pose a security threat for users if it were accessed by adversaries."
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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/23)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
01-15-2021, 05:57 PM
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Section 230 Is Good, Actually - EFFector 32.28
EFFector Issue #771
Dec 31, 2020 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/28)
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Top Features
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Section 230 Is Good, Actually (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/section-230-good-actually)
There are many, many misconceptions—as well as misinformation from Congress and elsewhere—about Section 230, from who it affects and what it protects to what results a repeal would have. To help explain what’s actually at stake when we talk about Section 230, we’ve put together responses to several common misunderstandings of the law.

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Publisher or Platform? It Doesn't Matter. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/publisher-or-platform-it-doesnt-matter)
“You have to choose: are you a platform or a publisher?” We’ll say it plainly here: there is no legal significance to labeling an online service a “platform” as opposed to a “publisher.” Nor does the law treat online services differently based on their ideological “neutrality” or lack thereof. Section 230 explicitly grants immunity to all intermediaries, both the “neutral” and the proudly biased. It treats them exactly the same, and does so on purpose. That’s a feature of Section 230, not a bug.
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It’s Not Section 230 President Trump Hates, It’s the First Amendment (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/its-not-section-230-president-trump-hates-its-first-amendment)
Our free speech online is too important to be held as collateral in a routine funding bill. Congress must reject President Trump’s misguided campaign against Section 230.
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EFF UPDATES
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Tell Congress Not To Bankrupt Internet Users (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/we-have-one-day-tell-congress-not-bankrupt-internet-users)
We are at a critical juncture in the world of copyright claims. The “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act”—the CASE Act—is apparently being considered for inclusion in next week’s spending bill. That is “must pass” legislation—in other words, legislation that is vital to the function of the government and so anything attached to it, related to spending or not, has a good chance of becoming law. The CASE Act could mean Internet users face $30,000 penalties for sharing a meme or making a video. It has no place in must pass legislation.
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Introducing “How to Fix the Internet,” a New Podcast from EFF (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/introducing-how-fix-internet-new-podcast-eff)
EFF recently launched How to Fix the Internet, a new podcast mini-series examining potential solutions to the ills facing the modern digital landscape. Over the course of six episodes, we consider how current tech policy isn’t working well for users and invite experts to join us in imagining a better future. Hosted by EFF’s Executive Director Cindy Cohn and our Director of Strategy Danny O’Brien, How to Fix the Internet digs into the gritty technical details and the case law surrounding these digital rights topics, while charting a course toward how we can better defend the rights of users.
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Law Enforcement Purchasing Commercially-Available Geolocation Data is Unconstitutional (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/law-enforcement-purchasing-commercially-available-geolocation-data)
Many of the smartphone apps people use every day are collecting data on their users and, in order to make money, many of these apps sell that information. One of the customers for this data is the U.S. government, which regularly purchases commercially available geolocation data. This includes the Department of Defense, CBP, ICE, the IRS, and the Secret Service. But it violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution for the government to purchase commercially available location data it would otherwise have to get a warrant to acquire.
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MiniLinks
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Public interest groups take aim at Pasco sheriff’s data-driven policing programs (https://www.tampabay.com/investigations/2020/12/05/public-interest-groups-take-aim-at-pasco-sheriffs-data-driven-policing-programs/)
Civil Liberties groups, including EFF, have taken a stand against a program being used by the Pasco County Sheriff’s department that uses data to justify surveilling and harrassing people in hopes of preventing future crimes.
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Police in Jackson, Mississippi, want access to live home security video, alarming privacy advocates (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-jackson-mississippi-want-access-live-home-security-video-alarming-n1249566)

We've long feared that networked home surveillance cameras would one day become a massive police CCTV network. One pilot program in Jackson, Mississippi is bringing our fears to life.


About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/32/28)in it's entirety.

Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
03-18-2021, 05:07 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.
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Answers for Internet Creators on New Copyright Laws - EFFector 33.1
EFFector Issue #774
Feb 28th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/1)
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Top Features
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Student Surveillance Vendor Proctorio Files SLAPP Lawsuit to Silence A Critic (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/student-surveillance-vendor-proctorio-files-slapp-lawsuit-silence-critic)

During the pandemic, a dangerous business has prospered: invading students’ privacy with proctoring software and apps. In the last year, we’ve seen universities compel students to download apps that collect their face images, driver’s license data, and network information. Last fall, Ian Linkletter, a remote learning specialist at the University of British Columbia, became part of a chorus of critics concerned with this industry. Now, he’s been sued for speaking out. The outrageous lawsuit—which relies on a bizarre legal theory that linking to publicly viewable videos is copyright infringement—will become an important test of a 2019 British Columbia law passed to defend free speech, the Protection of Public Participation Act, or PPPA.
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EFF Updates

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LAPD Requested Ring Footage of Black Lives Matter Protests (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/lapd-requested-ring-footage-black-lives-matter-protests)

Along with other civil liberties organizations and activists, EFF has long warned that Amazon Ring and other networked home surveillance devices could be used to monitor political activity and protests. Now we have documented proof that our fears were founded.
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Cops Using Music to Try to Stop Being Filmed Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/cops-using-music-try-stop-being-filmed-just-tip-iceberg)

Someone tries to livestream their encounters with the police, only to find that the police started playing music. In the case of a February 5 meeting between an activist and the Beverly Hills Police Department, the song of choice was Sublime’s “Santeria.” The police may not got no crystal ball, but they do seem to have an unusually strong knowledge about copyright filters, and how they can get important content taken off the Internet. Copyright should not be a fast-track to getting speech removed that you do not like. The law is meant to encourage creativity by giving artists a limited period of exclusive rights to their creations. It is not a way to make money off of criticism or a loophole to be exploited by authorities.
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MiniLinks
Minneapolis Becomes the Latest City to Ban Government Use of Face Recognition Technology (Gizmodo) (https://gizmodo.com/minneapolis-bans-city-cops-from-using-face-recognition-1846262750)

With a unanimous city council vote, Minneapolis joins Boston, San Francisco, and more than a dozen cities across the country that have banned government use of face recognition technology.
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The Best Law You’ve Never Heard Of (New York Times) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/technology/the-best-law-youve-never-heard-of.html)

Americans should feel angry about companies harvesting every morsel of our data to sell us sneakers or rate our creditworthiness. But a data protection law that few of us know about should also give us hope.



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/1)in it's entirety.


Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
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calikid
05-29-2021, 06:28 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.
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EFFector 33.2
Naming and Shaming Public Access Malpractice
EFFector Issue #775
March 28th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/2)

calikid
05-29-2021, 06:31 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.
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EFFector 33.3
Surprising No One, Users Don’t Actually Want to Be Tracked
EFFector Issue #776
May 20th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/3)
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Top Features
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Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency is Upending Mobile Phone Tracking (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/apples-apptrackingtransparency-upending-mobile-phone-tracking)

Apple’s long-awaited privacy update for iOS is out, and it’s a solid step in the right direction. With the launch of iOS 14.5, hundreds of millions of iPhone users will now have AppTrackingTransparency, which means that apps are required to ask permission if they want to track you and your activity across other apps. Allowing users to choose what third-party tracking they will or will not tolerate, and forcing apps to request those permissions, will give users more knowledge of what apps are doing and help protect them from abuse.
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Am I FLoCed? A New Site to Test Google's Invasive Experiment (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/am-i-floced-launch)

In April, EFF launched Am I FLoCed, a new site that will tell you whether your Chrome browser has been turned into a guinea pig for Federated Learning of Cohorts or FLoC, Google’s latest targeted advertising experiment. If you are a subject, we will tell you how your browser is describing you to every website you visit. Am I FLoCed is part of an effort to bring to light the invasive practices of the adtech industry—Google included—with the hope we can create a better internet for all, where our privacy rights are respected regardless of how profitable they may be to tech companies.
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EFF Updates
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Maine Should Take this Chance to Defund the Local Intelligence Fusion Center (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/eff-calls-maine-support-bill-defunds-local-intelligence-fusion-center)

The Maine state legislature is currently considering a piece of legislation that would close the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), also known as Maine’s only fusion center. Fusion centers are yet another unnecessary cog in the surveillance state—and one that serves the intrusive function of coordinating surveillance activities and sharing information between federal law enforcement, the national security surveillance apparatus, and local and state police. EFF is happy to support this bill in hopes of defunding an unnecessary, intrusive, and often-harmful piece of the U.S. surveillance regime.
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Why EFF Supports Repeal of Qualified Immunity (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/why-eff-supports-repeal-qualified-immunity)

Qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that protects government actors from civil lawsuits, directly harms people in two ways. First, many victims of constitutional violations are not compensated for their injury. Second, many more people suffer constitutional violations, because the doctrine removes an incentive to government officials to follow the Constitution. Over and over, qualified immunity has undermined judicial protection of digital rights.
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Surveillance Self-Defense Playlist: Getting to Know Your Phone (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/05/surveillance-self-defense-playlist-getting-know-your-phone)

We are launching a new Privacy Breakdown of Mobile Phones "playlist" on Surveillance Self-Defense, EFF's online guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices. This guided tour walks through the ways your phone communicates with the world, how your phone is tracked, and how that tracking data can be analyzed.
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MiniLinks
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U.S. Marshals Used Drones to Spy on Black Lives Matter Protests in Washington, D.C. (The Intercept) (https://theintercept.com/2021/04/22/drones-black-lives-matter-protests-marshals/)

Documents released from the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the U.S. Marshal’s Service used drones to spy on protests in Washington D.C. in summer 2020.
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Schools Use Software That Blocks LGBTQ+ Content, But Not White Supremacists (Vice) (https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7em39/schools-use-software-that-blocks-lgbtq-content-but-not-white-supremacists)

A Motherboard investigation found the algorithmic surveillance tools allow racist groups like the KKK while flagging LGBTQ health sites as 'porn'.



About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org.

.EFF is Supported By Donors.
Donate Today (https://supporters.eff.org/donate/site-f)

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged.
MiniLinks may not represent the views of EFF.
This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons.

View this Issue (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/3)in it's entirety.


Back issues of EFFector (https://www.eff.org/effector/)
https://www.eff.org/files/2018/06/27/eff-logo-lockup-red.png

calikid
10-05-2021, 05:05 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.

EFFector 33.4
Highest Court Hands Down A Series of Critical Digital Rights Decisions.
EFFector Issue #777
June 15th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/4)

calikid
10-05-2021, 05:05 PM
https://www.eff.org/sites/all/themes/frontier/images/logo_full.png
Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.

EFFector 33.5
Apple’s Plan to "Think Different" About Encryption Opens a Backdoor to Your Private Life.
EFFector Issue #778
Aug 20th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/5)

calikid
10-05-2021, 05:06 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.

EFFector 33.6
Why EFF Flew a Plane Over Apple's Headquarters.
EFFector Issue #779
Oct 5th, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/6)

calikid
12-06-2021, 05:57 PM
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Electronic Frontier Foundation Newsletter.

EFFector 33.7
Victory: Apple Will Retract Some Harmful Phone-Scanning.
EFFector Issue #780
Dec. 1st, 2021 VIEW AS WEBPAGE (https://www.eff.org/effector/33/7)