Category: Deeplinks

Podcast Episode: About Face (Recognition)

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> Is your face truly your own, or is it a commodity to be sold, a weapon to be used against you? A company called Clearview AI has scraped the internet to…

No KOSA, No TikTok Ban | EFFector 36.4

Want to hear about the latest news in digital rights? Well, you’re in luck! EFFector 36.4 is out now and covers the latest topics, including our stance on the unconstitutional TikTok ban (spoiler: it’s bad), a victory helping Indybay resist…

Responding to ShotSpotter, Police Shoot at Child Lighting Fireworks

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> This post was written by Rachel Hochhauser, an EFF legal intern We’ve written multiple times about the inaccurate and dangerous “gunshot detection” tool, Shotspotter. A recent near-tragedy in Chicago adds to…

EFF Seeks Greater Public Access to Patent Lawsuit Filed in Texas

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> You’re not supposed to be able to litigate in secret in the U.S. That’s especially true in a patent case dealing with technology that most internet users…

Lucy Parsons Labs Takes Police Foundation to Court for Open Records Requests

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The University of Georgia (UGA) School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic has filed an Open Records Request lawsuit to demand public records from the private Atlanta Police…

Speaking Freely: Maryam Al-Khawaja

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> *This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Maryam Al-Khawaja is a Bahraini Woman Human Rights Defender who works as a consultant and trainer on Human…

Decoding the California DMV’s Mobile Driver’s License

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The State of California is currently rolling out a “mobile driver’s license” (mDL), a form of digital identification that raises significant privacy and equity concerns. This post…

EFF to California Appellate Court: Reject Trial Judge’s Ruling That Would Penalize Beneficial Features and Tools on Social Media

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> EFF legal intern Jack Beck contributed to this post. A California trial court recently departed from wide-ranging precedent and held that Snap, Inc., the maker of Snapchat,…

Lawmakers: Ban TikTok to Stop Election Misinformation! Same Lawmakers: Restrict How Government Addresses Election Misinformation!

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> In a case being heard Monday at the Supreme Court, 45 Washington lawmakers have argued that government communications with social media sites about possible election interference misinformation…

The SAFE Act to Reauthorize Section 702 is Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is one of the most insidious and secretive mass surveillance authorities still in operation today. The Security and…

Analyzing KOSA’s Constitutional Problems In Depth

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Why EFF Does Not Think Recent Changes Ameliorate KOSA’s Censorship  The latest version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) did not change our critical view of…

5 Big Unanswered Questions About the TikTok Bill

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. House voted 352 to 65 to pass HR 7521 this week, a bill that would ban TikTok nationwide if its Chinese…

San Diego City Council Breaks TRUST

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> In a stunning reversal against the popular Transparent & Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) ordinance, the San Diego city council voted earlier this year to cut…

Location Data Tracks Abortion Clinic Visits. Here’s What to Know

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Our concerns about the selling and misuse of location data for those seeking reproductive and gender healthcare are escalating amid a recent wave of cases and incidents…

Making the Law Accessible in Europe and the USA

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> EFF Legal Intern Alissa Johnson contributed to the writing of this blog post. Earlier this month, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that harmonized standards are…

Why U.S. House Members Opposed the TikTok Ban Bill

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> What do House Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Barbara Lee have in common with House Republicans like Thomas Massie and Andy Biggs? Not a lot. But they…

Protect Yourself from Election Misinformation

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Welcome to your U.S. presidential election year, when all kinds of bad actors will flood the internet with election-related disinformation and misinformation aimed at swaying or suppressing…

Congress Should Give Up on Unconstitutional TikTok Bans

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Congress’ unfounded plan to ban TikTok under the guise of protecting our data is back, this time in the form of a new bill—the “Protecting Americans from…

Congress Must Stop Pushing Bills That Will Benefit Patent Trolls

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The U.S. Senate is moving forward with two bills that would enrich patent trolls, patent system insiders, and a few large companies that rely on flimsy patents,…

Reject Nevada’s Attack on Encrypted Messaging, EFF Tells Court

Nevada Makes Backward Argument That Insecure Communication Makes Children Safer < div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> LAS VEGAS — The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of partners urged a federal court…

Podcast Episode: ‘I Squared’ Governance

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Imagine a world in which the internet is first and foremost about empowering people, not big corporations and government. In that world, government does “after-action” analyses to…

EFF’s Submission to Ofcom’s Consultation on Illegal Harms

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> More than four years after it was first introduced, the Online Safety Act (OSA) was passed by the U.K. Parliament in September 2023. The Act seeks to…

The Foilies 2024

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Recognizing the worst in government transparency. The Foilies are co-written by EFF and MuckRock and published in alternative newspapers around the country through a partnership with the…

Four Reasons to Protect the Internet this International Women’s Day

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> Today is International Women’s Day, a day celebrating the achievements of women globally but also a day marking a call to action for accelerating equality and improving the lives of women…

Four Infosec Tools for Resistance this International Women’s Day

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> While online violence is alarmingly common globally, women are often more likely to be the target of mass online attacks, nonconsensual leaks of sensitive information and content,…

Four Voices You Should Hear this International Women’s Day

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> Around the globe, freedom of expression varies wildly in definition, scope, and level of access. The impact of the digital age on perceptions and censorship of speech has been felt across…

Should Caddy and Traefik Replace Certbot?

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Can free and open source software projects like Caddy and Traefik eventually replace EFF’s Certbot? Although Certbot continues to be developed, we think tools like these help…

Privacy First and Competition

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> “Privacy First” is a simple, powerful idea: seeing as so many of today’s technological problems are also privacy problems, why don’t we fix privacy first? Whether you’re…

Voting No on Prop E Is Easy and Important for San Francisco

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> San Francisco’s ballot initiative Proposition E is a dangerous and deceptive measure that threatens our privacy, safety, and democratic ideals. It would give the police more power…

Celebrating 15 Years of Surveillance Self-Defense

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> On March 3rd, 2009, we launched Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD). At the time, we pitched it as, “an online how-to guide for protecting your private data against government…

Ghana’s President Must Refuse to Sign the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> After three years of political discussions, MPs in Ghana’s Parliament voted to pass the country’s draconian Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill…

Podcast Episode: Open Source Beats Authoritarianism

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> What if we thought about democracy as a kind of open-source social technology, in which everyone can see the how and why of policy making, and everyone’s concerns and preferences are…

EFF Opposes California Initiative That Would Cause Mass Censorship

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> In recent years, lots of proposed laws purport to reduce “harmful” content on the internet, especially for kids. Some have good intentions. But the fact is, we…

Defending Access to the Decentralized Web

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Decentralized web technologies have the potential to make the internet more robust and efficient, supporting a new wave of innovation. However, the fundamental technologies and services that…

Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The authors of the dangerous Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) unveiled an amended version this week, but it’s still an unconstitutional censorship bill that continues to empower…

EFF to Court: Strike Down Age Estimation in California But Not Consumer Privacy

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called on the Ninth Circuit to rule that California’s Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) violates the First Amendment, while not casting doubt…

Hip Hip Hooray For Hipster Antitrust

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Don’t believe the hype. The undeniable fact is that the FTC has racked up a long list of victories over corporate abuses, like busting a nationwide, decades-long…

Privacy Isn’t Dead. Far From It.

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Welcome!  The fact that you’re reading this means that you probably care deeply about the issue of privacy, which warms our hearts. Unfortunately, even though you care…

Draft UN Cybercrime Treaty Could Make Security Research a Crime, Leading 124 Experts to Call on UN Delegates to Fix Flawed Provisions that Weaken Everyone’s Security

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> Security researchers’ work discovering and reporting vulnerabilities in software, firmware,  networks, and devices protects people, businesses and governments around the world from malware, theft of  critical data, and other cyberattacks. The…

Protect Good Faith Security Research Globally in Proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> < div class=”page” title=”Page 1″> < div class=”layoutArea”> < div class=”column”> Statement to be submitted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, accredited under operative paragraph No. 9 of…

What is Proposition E and Why Should San Francisco Voters Oppose It?

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> If you live in San Francisco, there is an election on March 5, 2024 during which voters will decide a number of specific local ballot measures—including Proposition…

Worried About AI Voice Clone Scams? Create a Family Password

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Your grandfather receives a call late at night from a person pretending to be you. The caller says that you are in jail or have been kidnapped…

What Apple’s Promise to Support RCS Means for Text Messaging

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> You may have heard recently that Apple is planning to implement Rich Communication Services (RCS) on iPhones, once again igniting the green versus blue bubble debate. RCS…

In Final Talks on Proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty, EFF Calls on Delegates to Incorporate Protections Against Spying and Restrict Overcriminalization or Reject Convention

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> UN Member States are meeting in New York this week to conclude negotiations over the final text of the UN Cybercrime Treaty, which—despite warnings from hundreds of…

In Final Talks on Proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty, EFF Calls on Delegates to Incorporate Protections Against Spying and Overcriminalization or Reject Convention

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> UN Member States are meeting in New York this week to conclude negotiations over the final text of the UN Cybercrime Treaty, which—despite warnings from hundreds of…

More Than a Decade Later, Site-Blocking Is Still Censorship

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> 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…

Save your Twitter Account

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> 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…

Tell the FTC: It’s Time to Act on the Right to Repair

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> Do you care about being able to fix and modify your stuff? Then it’s time to speak up and tell the Federal Trade Commission that you care about your right to…

What Home Videotaping Can Tell Us About Generative AI

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> 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…

Fragging: The Subscription Model Comes for Gamers

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> 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…

FTC Bars X-Mode from Selling Sensitive Location Data

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Update, January 23, 2024: Another week, another win! The FTC announced a successful enforcement action against another location data broker, InMarket. Phone app location data brokers are…

The PRESS Act Will Protect Journalists When They Need It Most

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Our government shouldn’t be spying on journalists. Nor should law enforcement agencies force journalists to identify their confidential sources or go to prison.  To fix this, we need…

The No AI Fraud Act Creates Way More Problems Than It Solves

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Creators have reason to be wary of the generative AI future. For one thing, while GenAI can be a valuable tool for creativity, it may also be used to…

Companies Make it Too Easy for Thieves to Impersonate Police and Steal Our Data

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> For years, people have been impersonating police online in order to get companies to hand over incredibly sensitive personal information. Reporting by 404 Media recently revealed that…

EFF’s 2024 In/Out List

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Since EFF was formed in 1990, we’ve been working hard to protect digital rights for all. And as each year passes, we’ve come to understand the challenges…

FTC Bars X-Mode from Selling Sensitive Location Data

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Phone app location data brokers are a growing menace to our privacy and safety. All you did was click a box while downloading an app. Now the…

EFF Unveils Its New Street Level Surveillance Hub

The Updated and Expanded Hub Sheds New Light on the Digital Surveillance Dragnet that Law Enforcement Deploys Against Everyone < div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> SAN FRANCISCO—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today unveiled…

Privacy Badger Puts You in Control of Widgets

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The latest version of Privacy Badger 1 replaces embedded tweets with click-to-activate placeholders. This is part of Privacy Badger’s widget replacement feature, where certain potentially useful widgets are blocked…

UAE Confirms Trial Against 84 Detainees; Ahmed Mansoor Suspected Among Them

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> The UAE confirmed this week that it has placed 84 detainees on trial, on charges of “establishing another secret organization for the purpose of committing acts of…

AI Watermarking Won’t Curb Disinformation

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> Generative AI allows people to produce piles upon piles of images and words very quickly. It would be nice if there were some way to reliably distinguish…

EFF Urges Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Find Keyword Search Warrant Unconstitutional

These Dragnet Searches Violate the Privacy of Millions of Americans < div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> SAN FRANCISCO—Keyword warrants that let police indiscriminately sift through search engine databases are unconstitutional dragnets that target…

Year In Review: Google’s Corporate Paternalism in The Browser

< div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”> < div class=”field__items”> < div class=”field__item even”> It’s a big year for the oozing creep of corporate paternalism and ad-tracking technology online. Google and its subsidiary companies have tightened their grips on the throat…