As the UK’s Online Safety Bill enters its Second Reading in the House of Lords, EFF, Liberty, Article 19, and Big Brother Watch are calling on Peers to protect end-to-end encryption and the right to private messaging online. As we’ve said before, undermining protections for…
Category: Deeplinks
The FCC Broadband Maps: Meet the New Maps, Same as the Old Maps
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released their new broadband map in November 2022, many hoped the chronic inaccuracies of past FCC maps would be resolved. Previous maps of high-speed broadband access in the United States painted inaccurate pictures partly…
EFF Files Amicus Briefs in Two Important Geofence Search Warrant Cases
Should the police be able to identify everyone who was in a busy metropolitan area, just because a crime occurred there? In two amicus briefs just filed in appellate courts, we argue that’s a clearly unconstitutional search.[1] The two cases…
Setting the Record Straight: EFF Statement in Support of FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn
In the last week, a number of dangerous and conspiracy-driven attacks were made against EFF board member Gigi Sohn, an eminently qualified nominee to the Federal Communications Commission. These attacks attempt to twist EFF’s long-held positions and commitments into dog…
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back on Vaccine Privacy in New York
EFF was proud to support New York’s A. 7326/S. 6541, which the legislature passed to protect the confidentiality of medical immunity information. It limits what data can be collected or shared, who it can be shared with, and how long it…
Stupid Patent of the Month: Digital Verification Systems Patents E-Signatures
Patent trolls make patents, and argue over them. They don’t have to ever make the thing described in their patents, if it’s even possible to determine what those things are. Instead, they generate legal threats and waste the time and…
California Law Says Electronic Search Data Must Be Posted Online. So Where Is It?
When it was passed in 2015, the California Electronic Communications Act (CalECPA) was heralded as a major achievement for digital privacy, because it required law enforcement to obtain a warrant in most cases before searching a suspect’s data, be it…
Brazil’s Telecom Operators Made Strides and Had Shortcomings in Internet Lab’s New Report on User Privacy Practices
Brazil’s biggest internet connection providers made moderate advances in protecting customer data and being transparent about their privacy practices, but fell short on meeting certain requirements for upholding users’ rights under Brazil’s data protection law, according to InternetLab’s 2022 Quem…
Podcast Episode: Don’t Be Afraid to Poke the Tigers
What can a bustling electronic components bazaar in Shenzhen, China, tell us about building a better technology future? To researcher and hacker Andrew “bunnie” Huang, it symbolizes the boundless motivation, excitement, and innovation that can be unlocked if people have…
EFF Tells Supreme Court: User Speech Must Be Protected
The Supreme Court is about to hear a case that could dramatically affect users’ speech rights online. EFF has filed a brief explaining what’s at stake, and urging the court to preserve the key law protecting user expression, 47 U.S.C…
The Next Stage in Security Expert’s Trial Set for January 31
Swedish computer security expert Ola Bini was arrested in April, 2019, in Ecuador, and a cloud has hung over his case ever since. Bini’s case has been impacted by numerous due process violations and human rights concerns, and there have…
Podcast Episode: Don’t Be Afraid to Poke the Tigers
What can a bustling electronic components bazaar in Shenzhen, China, tell us about building a better technology future? To researcher and hacker Andrew “bunnie” Huang, it symbolizes the boundless motivation, excitement, and innovation that can be unlocked if people have…
For Would-Be Censors and the Thin-Skinned, Copyright Law Offers Powerful Tools
Yesterday, we wrote about the importance of fair use as a safeguard for free expression. But all too often, fair use and other legal limits on copyright are not enough to stop copyright enforcement from serving as cover for silencing…
Right to Repair Advocates Have Had Good Victories. We Have To Keep Fighting.
It’s been a good year for right to repair advocates. Colorado passed an important law to allow wheelchair users access to resources they need to fix their own chairs. The Federal Trade Commission has stepped up enforcement of companies that…
Fair Use Creep Is A Feature, Not a Bug
We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at…
Digital Rights Updates with EFFector 35.1
It’s a new year! There’s no better time to keep up with the latest updates on your digital rights. Version 35, issue 1 of our EFFector newsletter is out now. Catch up on the latest EFF news by reading our…
Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again: Rethinking Tech Regulation and Creative Labor
We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at…
Open Data and the AI Black Box
We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at…
US Copyright Term Extensions Have Stopped, But the Public Domain Still Faces Threats
We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at…
It’s Copyright Week 2023: Join Us in the Fight for Better Copyright Law and Policy
We’re taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are taking on different elements of copyright law and policy, and addressing what’s at…
Kurt Opsahl Moves to EFF Special Counsel
Longtime EFFer and Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel Kurt Opsahl will be moving on from the Electronic Frontier Foundation after nearly 20 years, on February 1. But we aren’t going to let him go too far: Kurt will continue…
Beware the Gifts of Dragons: How D&D’s Open Gaming License May Have Become a Trap for Creators
According to leaks reported last week, the company that owns Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is planning to revoke the open license that has, since the year 2000, applied to a wide range of unofficial, commercial products that build on the…
EFF and Partners Call Out Threats to Free Expression in Draft Text as UN Cybersecurity Treaty Negotiations Resume
EFF is attending this week and next a new round of negotiations over the proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty to raise concerns that draft provisions now on the table include a long list of content-related crimes that pose serious threats to…
Last Chance for U.S. Federal Employees to Make a Pledge for EFF!
Calling all U.S. federal employees and retirees: the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) pledge period is closing on January 14, 2023. Be sure to make a pledge for EFF now to support digital freedoms for every internet user. It’s easy to…
Global Cybercrime and Government Access to User Data Across Borders: 2022 in Review
Since the new UN cybercrime treaty began to take shape in 2022, EFF has been fighting on behalf of users to make sure robust human rights safeguards and rule of law standards are the basis of any final product. There’s…
A Year in Internet Surveillance and Resilience: 2022 in Review
This year, we have seen an array of different ways governments around the world have tried to alter basic security on the web for users. Much of this was attempted through legislation, direct network interference, or as a request directly…
Data Sanctuary for Abortion and Trans Health Care: 2022 in Review
In the wake of this year’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs overruling Roe v. Wade, sheriffs and bounty hunters in anti-abortion states will try to investigate and punish abortion seekers based on their internet browsing, private messaging, and phone app…
Seeing Patent Trolls Clearly: 2022 in Review
The internet can be a powerful tool for communicating, collaborating, and finding community. But lawsuits and threats from patent trolls have been an obstacle to the dream of a free and open internet. That’s why EFF has been fighting back…
Fighting for the Digital Future of Books: 2022 in Review
Informed citizens need comprehensive libraries that meet people where they are. Today, that means online spaces that welcome everyone to use their resources, invite them to create new and truthful works, and respect the interests of both authors and readers. …
Schools and EdTech Need to Study Up On Student Privacy: 2022 in Review
In 2022, student privacy gets a solid “C” grade. The trend of schools engaging in student surveillance did not let up in 2022. There were, however, some small wins indicative of a growing movement to push back against this encroachment.…
Reproductive Justice and Digital Rights: 2022 in Review
Reproductive justice and safe access to abortion, like so many other aspects of managing our healthcare, is fundamentally tied to our digital lives. And since it is part of our healthcare, we should have the ability to keep it private…