Media Briefing: As UN Cybercrime Treaty Negotiations Enter Final Phase, Time is Running Short to Bolster Human Rights Protections
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/media-briefing-un-cybercrime-treaty-negotiations-enter-final-phase-time-running-short
August 18, 2023, 4:40 PM
Draft Text Enhances Government Surveillance Across Borders but Offers Weak Checks and BalancesNew York—On Wednesday, August 23, at 1:30 pm Eastern Time (10:30 am Pacific Time) experts from Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Human Rights Watch, and four international allies will brief reporters about critical flaws in the draft UN Cybercrime Treaty that threaten human rights.The treaty, under negotiation by UN Member States for more than a year, is intended to foster international cooperatio...
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Digital Rights Updates with EFFector 35.10
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/digital-rights-updates-effector-3510
August 17, 2023, 11:42 PM
Need to catch up on the latest in the digital freedoms movement? EFF has you covered with our EFFector newsletter, featuring updates, upcoming events, and more! Our newest issue covers work around various censorship bills like KOSA, the illegal spying law Section 702, and features our thoughts about surveillance and self-driving cars, and much more.
Learn more about the latest happenings by reading the full newsletter here, or you can listen to the audio version below!
Listen on YouTube
EFFector...
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Portland's TA3M: Expanding the Scope of Their Work in PDX
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/portlands-ta3m-expanding-scope-their-work-pdx
August 17, 2023, 10:11 PM
Techno-Activism 3rd Mondays (TA3M) is an informal meet-up designed to connect software creators and activists who are interested in issues like censorship, surveillance, and open technology. Portland’s TA3M continues to focus on educational events and recently expanded that focus to include privacy, security, and sometimes other tech-related topics. Here, EFF speaks with Electronic Frontier Alliance member Portland’s TA3M about their work, lessons learned and what’s to come on the horizon....
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The Industry Discussion About Standards For Bluetooth-Enabled Physical Trackers is Finally Getting Started
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/industry-discussion-about-standards-bluetooth-enabled-physical-trackers-finally
August 15, 2023, 5:03 AM
Bluetooth-enabled location trackers such as Tiles and AirTags aren’t just a helpful way to find missing luggage or a misplaced wallet—they can also be easily slipped surreptitiously into a bag or car, allowing stalkers and abusers unprecedented access to a person’s location without their knowledge. At EFF, we have been sounding the alarm about this threat to people, especially survivors of domestic abuse, for a long time.  
Now, there’s finally an industry discussion happening about th...
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Jordan's King Should Reject the Country's Draft Cybercrime Law
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/jordans-king-should-reject-countrys-draft-cybercrime-law
August 14, 2023, 2:47 PM
Jordan’s parliament recently passed a new cybercrime law that will severely restrict individual human rights across the country. With the law now heading to Jordan’s Senate and Jordan’s King Abdullah II for final approval, EFF and 18 other civil society organizations have written to the King of Jordan urging the rejection of the country’s draft 2023 Cybercrime Law. 
The law has been issued hastily and without sufficient examination of its legal aspects, social implications, and its impa...
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Dissecting the UN Cybercrime Convention’s Threat to Coders’ Rights at DEFCON
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/dissecting-un-cybercrime-conventions-threat-coders-rights-defcon
August 12, 2023, 5:18 PM
This is a segment in EFF’s ongoing series about the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention, focusing on the threats to security researchers in the proposed treaty. Read Part I for a quick snapshot of the ins and outs of the zero draft; Part II for a deep dive on Chapter IV dealing with domestic surveillance powers; and Part III for a deep dive on Chapter V regarding international cooperation: the historical context of international police cooperation mechanisms, the zero draft's approach, the scope...
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Federal Judge Upholds Arizonans’ Right to Record the Police
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/federal-judge-upholds-arizonans-right-record-police
August 11, 2023, 5:32 PM
The Arizona legislature last year passed a law (H.B. 2319 codified at A.R.S. § 13-3732) banning the video recording of police activity within eight feet of officers, making doing so a class 3 misdemeanor (which would allow for up to 30 days in jail). The law included some exceptions, such as for “a person who is the subject of police contact.”
A coalition of news organizations and the ACLU of Arizona sued state and county government officials in federal court arguing that the law was uncons...
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The U.S. Government Wants To Control Online Speech to “Protect Kids”
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/us-government-about-control-speech-online-protect-kids
August 11, 2023, 2:38 PM
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that allows for a wide range of government penalties for online speech, could soon be passed by Congress. If that happens, the access we have to information may be forever changed. KOSA will make state prosecutors and federal bureaucrats the final arbiters of online content moderation in the U.S. 
KOSA is fundamentally a censorship bill. Politicians are justifying it by harping on something we all know—that there’s content online that’s inappropri...
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Proposed Cybercrime Treaty’s International Cooperation Provisions Could Let Tyrants Run Amok
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/proposed-cybercrime-treatys-international-cooperation-provisions-could-let-tyrants
August 11, 2023, 1:11 AM
This is the third segment in EFF’s series on the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention focusing on Chapter V, International Cooperation. Read Part I for a quick snap of what ins and outs of the zero draft, and Part II for a deep dive on Chapter IV, domestic surveillance powers.The United Nations Headquarters in New York City is poised to become the epicenter of one of the most concerning global debates affecting human rights in the digital age. Starting August 21, delegates from around the world ...
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Congress Amended KOSA, But It's Still A Censorship Bill
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/congress-amended-kosa-its-still-censorship-bill
August 10, 2023, 5:55 PM
A key Senate committee voted to move forward one of the most dangerous bills we’ve seen in years: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). EFF has opposed the Kids Online Safety Act, S. 1409, because it’s a danger to the rights of all users, both minors and adults. The bill requires all websites, apps, and online platforms to filter and block legal speech. It empowers state attorney generals, who are mostly elected politicians, to file lawsuits based on content they believe will be harmful to youn...
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California's DELETE Act Protects Us From Data Brokers
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/californias-delete-act-protects-us-data-brokers
August 8, 2023, 6:08 PM
When it comes to the reckless trade of our personal information, data brokers are the problem. These entities collect then sell personal information they’ve amassed on individuals with very little oversight. This includes very sensitive information such as buying habits, financial records, social media activity, or precise geolocation information. Scams, identity theft, and financial exploitation result from the collection and misuse of personal information.
Potential misuse of health data cou...
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Announcing the Tor University Challenge
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/announcing-tor-university-challenge
August 8, 2023, 4:37 PM
Tor is a valuable tool for browsing the web anonymously, but since it's powered by volunteers willing to share some bandwidth and a computer, it's always in need of additional help. Which is why EFF is announcing the Tor University Challenge, a project asking universities to start running Tor relays on campus. Today, we're launching with support from 12 universities. With your help, we can add more universities to strengthen the Tor network to improve one of the best free privacy tools available...
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It's Summer Security Week at EFF
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/summer-security-week-eff
August 8, 2023, 2:13 PM
Let me be frank: it’s always security week at EFF! But this week is extra special. EFF will take flight to the Las Vegas hacker summer camp conferences—BSidesLV, Black Hat USA and DEF CON 31—to rally behind computer security researchers and tinkerers. Whether you're on the ground in Vegas or online, I hope you'll support the digital rights movement as an EFF member this week.
EFF’s activists, technologists, and lawyers fight so you can use technology on your own terms. Wrongheaded tech p...
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EFF at Las Vegas Hacker Summer Camp
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/eff-las-vegas-hacker-summer-camp
August 8, 2023, 2:09 PM
The EFF team is pleased to return to the Las Vegas hacker summer camp conferences—BSidesLV, Black Hat USA and DEF CON 31—to rally behind computer security researchers and tinkerers. This entire week of events is a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with the infosec and hacker community, who are crucial to building privacy and safety on the web for everyone. Below we've rounded up all of EFF's scheduled talks and activities at the conferences.
As in past years, EFF staff attorneys will be pr...
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Your Computer Should Say What You Tell It To Say
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/your-computer-should-say-what-you-tell-it-say-1
August 7, 2023, 9:41 PM
WEI? I’m a frayed knot
Two pieces of string walk into a bar.
The first piece of string asks for a drink.
The bartender says, “Get lost. We don’t serve pieces of string.”
The second string ties a knot in his middle and messes up his ends. Then he orders a drink. 
The bartender says, “Hey, you aren’t a piece of string, are you?”
The piece of string says, “Not me! I'm a frayed knot.”
Google is adding code to Chrome that will send tamper-proof information about your operating sys...
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EFF to 9th Circuit: App Stores Shouldn’t Be Liable for Processing Payments for User Content
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/eff-9th-circuit-apps-stores-shouldnt-be-liable-processing-payments-user-content
August 5, 2023, 1:29 AM
EFF filed a brief this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit arguing that app stores should not be liable for user speech just because they recommend that speech or process payments for those users. Those stores should be protected by Section 230, a law that protects Americans’ freedom of expression online by protecting the intermediaries we all rely on. Absent Section 230 immunity in these contexts, the platforms would be forced to censor user speech to mitigate their legal...
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The Impending Privacy Threat of Self-Driving Cars
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/impending-privacy-threat-self-driving-cars
August 4, 2023, 4:41 PM
Within a few years, fully self-driving cars have gone from science fiction to a very common reality for people in San Francisco with other places in the U.S. also testing the new technology. With innovations often come unintended consequences—one of which is the massive collection of data required for an autonomous vehicle to function. The sheer amount of visual and other information collected by a fleet of cars traveling down public streets conjures the threat of the possibility for peoples�...
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Celebrating Ten Years of Encrypting the Web with Let’s Encrypt
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/celebrating-ten-years-encrypting-web-lets-encrypt
August 3, 2023, 10:55 PM
Ten years ago, the web was a very different place. Most websites didn’t use HTTPS to protect your data. As a result, snoops could read emails or even take over accounts by stealing cookies. But a group of determined researchers and technologists from EFF and the University of Michigan were dreaming of a better world: one where every web page you visited was protected from spying and interference. Meanwhile, another group at Mozilla was working on the same dream. Those dreams led to the creatio...
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Facebook Apparently Will Ask for Consent Before Showing Behavioral Ads to Some Users
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/facebook-apparently-will-ask-consent-showing-behavioral-ads-some-users
August 2, 2023, 10:28 PM
For many years now, EFF has argued that pervasive online behavioral surveillance, which powers the exploitative data broker industry as well as some of the largest online tech companies, should be banned. Companies should voluntarily make these changes to benefit their users, but EFF also strongly supports legislation that would require businesses to get consumers’ opt-in consent before collecting and processing this private behavioral data. Such legislation has stalled in the U.S. However, ye...
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UN Cybercrime Convention Negotiations Enter Final Phase With Troubling Surveillance Powers Still on the Table
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/un-cybercrime-convention-negotiations-enter-final-phase-troubling-surveillance
August 2, 2023, 5:10 PM
This is Part II of EFF’s analysis of the zero draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention. Part I is here. 
As one of the last negotiating sessions to finalize the UN Cybercrime Convention approaches, it’s important to remember that the outcome and implications of the international talks go well beyond the UN meeting rooms in Vienna and New York. Representatives from over 140 countries around the globe with widely divergent law enforcement practices, including Iran, Russia,  Saudi Arabia, China,...
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The White House Acknowledges the Pressure on Section 702, But Much More Reform is Needed
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/white-house-acknowledges-pressure-section-702-much-more-reform-needed
July 31, 2023, 7:55 PM
We've seen months of continued public confirmation that Americans’ privacy is being violated by surveillance under Section 702, and widespread criticism from civil society, activists, surveillance-skeptical bipartisan congressional committees, and even the overly timid Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Now, a separate  group of White House-appointed experts just flinched on renewing the law without reforms. It’s good to see even the White House signal that improvements are needed...
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Government Needs Both the Ability to Talk to Social Media Platforms and Clear Limits, EFF Argues in Brief to Appellate Court
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/government-needs-both-ability-talk-social-media-platforms-and-clear-limits-eff-argues
July 28, 2023, 5:40 PM
EFF Filed Its Missouri v. Biden Amicus Brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitSAN FRANCISCO—Government input into social media platforms’ decisions about user content raises serious First Amendment concerns and the government must be held accountable for violations, but not all such communications are improper, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued in an appellate brief filed today. 
“Government co-option of the content moderation systems of social media companies i...
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Deja Vu: The FBI Proves Again It Can’t be Trusted with Section 702
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/deja-vu-fbi-proves-again-it-cant-be-trusted-section-702
July 27, 2023, 6:03 PM
We all deserve privacy in our communications, and part of that is trusting that the government will only access them within the limits of the law. But at this point, it’s crystal clear that the FBI doesn’t believe that either our rights nor the limitations that Congress has placed upon the bureau matter when it comes to the vast amount of information about us collected under FISA Section 702. 
How many times will the FBI get caught with their hand in the cookie jar of our constitutionally ...
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Maryland Supreme Court: Police Can’t Search Digital Data When Users Revoke Consent
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/maryland-supreme-court-police-cant-search-digital-data-when-users-revoke-consent
July 27, 2023, 5:28 PM
This post was co-authored by EFF legal intern Virginia Kennedy
Under the Fourth Amendment, police can search your home, your computer, and other private spaces without a warrant or even probable cause if you freely and voluntarily consent to the search. But even when someone consents to a search, they should be able to change their mind. Say, for example, if a lawyer gives them better advice. But as a recent case from the Maryland Supreme Court demonstrates, searches of digital data stored on el...
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The U.K. Government Is Very Close To Eroding Encryption Worldwide 
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/uk-government-very-close-eroding-encryption-worldwide
July 26, 2023, 7:59 PM
The U.K. Parliament is pushing ahead with a sprawling internet regulation bill that will, among other things, undermine the privacy of people around the world. The Online Safety Bill, now at the final stage before passage in the House of Lords, gives the British government the ability to force backdoors into messaging services, which will destroy end-to-end encryption. No amendments have been accepted that would mitigate the bill’s most dangerous elements. 
TAKE ACTION
TELL the U.K. Parliame...
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Rights Groups Urge EU’s Thierry Breton: No Internet Shutdowns for Hateful Content
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/nternational-rights-groups-thierry-breton-you-need-make-clear-under-dsa-states
July 26, 2023, 6:41 PM
EFF and 66 human rights and free speech advocacy groups across the globe today called on EU Internal Commissioner Thierry Breton to clarify that the Digital Services Act (DSA)—new regulations aimed at reining in Big Tech companies that control the lion’s share of online speech worldwide—does not allow internet shutdowns to be used as a weapon to punish platforms for not removing “hateful content.”Arbitrary blocking of online platforms for not following procedural safeguards to take dow...
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Electronic Frontier Foundation to Present Annual EFF Awards to Alexandra Asanovna Elbakyan, Library Freedom Project, and Signal Foundation
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/electronic-frontier-foundation-present-annual-eff-awards-alexandra-asanovna-elbakyan
July 26, 2023, 4:34 PM
The 2023 EFF Awards will be presented in a live ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 14 in San Francisco. SAN FRANCISCO—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is honored to announce that Alexandra Asanovna Elbakyan, Library Freedom Project, and Signal Foundation will receive the 2023 EFF Awards for their vital work in helping to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people.  
The EFF Awards recognize specific and substantial technical, social, economic, or cultur...
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FBI Seizure of Mastodon Server Data is a Wakeup Call to Fediverse Users and Hosts to Protect their Users
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/fbi-seizure-mastodon-server-wakeup-call-fediverse-users-and-hosts-protect-their
July 25, 2023, 7:39 PM
We’re in an exciting time for users who want to take back control from major platforms like Twitter and Facebook. However, this new environment comes with challenges and risks for user privacy, so we need to get it right and make sure networks like the Fediverse and Bluesky are mindful of past lessons.
In May, Mastodon server Kolektiva.social was compromised when one of the server’s admins had their home raided by the FBI for unrelated charges. All of their electronics, including a backup of...
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The NDAA is No Place for Sweeping Internet Legislation Like the STOP CSAM Act
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/ndaa-no-place-sweeping-internet-legislation-stop-csam-act
July 24, 2023, 9:57 PM
The STOP CSAM Act of 2023 would undermine services offering end-to-end encryption and push internet companies to take down lawful user speech. This dangerous bill would threaten security and free speech on the internet—but incredibly, it may pass Congress without even being seriously debated.  Some lawmakers are seeking to attach this dangerous proposal to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the “must-pass” military budget bill.  
As we’ve written before, the STOP CSAM Act...
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Digital Rights Updates with EFFector 35.9
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/digital-rights-updates-effector-359
July 24, 2023, 5:40 PM
There's been a lot happening in the digital rights movement, so if you need to catch up, you've come to the right place! Learn more about the latest news with EFF's EFFector newsletter, featuring updates, upcoming events, and more. This latest issue features our work pushing for human rights protections in the UN Cybercrime Treaty, a report about platform regulation in Brazil, our thoughts on generative AI policy, and much more.
Learn more about the latest happenings by reading the full newslett...
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Court Rejects Efforts to Identify Anonymous Webhost
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/first-amendment-win-webhost-anonymity-case
July 23, 2023, 8:20 PM
Note: The post was co-authored by EFF legal intern Janelle Robins
In a victory for online expression, a U.S. District Court judge has quashed a subpoena aimed at revealing the identity of an anonymous person who simply hosted a website.
The background facts tell a too-familiar tale in the age of social media: a New Jersey man was fired from his job after an anti-fascist Twitter account suggested he was involved with a white supremacist organization. He and several others targeted by the Twitter ...
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DC Circuit FOSTA Ruling Lets a Bad Law Stay on the Books, But Offers Meaningful Protection for Some Sex Work Forums and Sex Workers Using Online Services
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/dc-circuit-fosta-ruling-lets-bad-law-stay-books-offers-meaningful-protection-some
July 22, 2023, 11:22 PM
The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on July 7 affirmed the dismissal of Woodhull Freedom Foundation v. US, the constitutional challenge to FOSTA. That’s certainly disappointing: this bad law will now stay on the books.
But the good news is that FOSTA stays on the books in a more limited manner: the court sharply narrowed FOSTA to address the arguments that its overly broad reach criminalized protected speech and caused a massive chilling effect on online speech. That’s a significant im...
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Young People Should Oppose the Kids Online Safety Act
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/young-people-should-oppose-kids-online-safety-act
July 21, 2023, 8:44 PM
Next week, Congress plans to move a bill forward that is opposed by dozens of organizations, digital rights protectors, LGBTQ+ activists, and human rights defenders: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). As we’ve written before, KOSA would lead to censorship and privacy invasions for all social media users. But the most impacted groups will be young people, who the bill purports to help by banishing to a second-class internet. 
What’s often been left out of the debate over KOSA is how young pe...
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First Draft of UN Cybercrime Convention Drops Troubling Provisions, But Dangerous And Open-Ended Cross Border Surveillance Powers Are Still on the Table
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/first-draft-un-cybercrime-treaty-drops-troubling-provisions-dangerous-and-open
July 21, 2023, 5:15 AM
This is Part I of a series of posts about the first draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention. Part I provides background on the negotiations and analyzes our first take on the Zero draft and its human rights implications. Part II analyzes the draft’s most problematic provisions.The much-anticipated official first negotiated draft of the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention—shaped by many months of Member States-led negotiations in which EFF has been deeply involved—is now public.
The conventio...
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Victory! Embedded Links to Photos on Instagram Don’t Infringe Photographers’ Copyrights, Court Rules
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/victory-embedded-links-photos-instagram-dont-infringe-photographers-copyrights
July 20, 2023, 9:01 PM
Every day, we visit websites or read news articles that contain photos embedded from somewhere else, usually other websites or servers where the images were first published or stored. What’s happening behind the scenes when you click on a website chock full of photos and text is a basic function of the internet—inline linking—that is frequently and improperly attacked as facilitating copyright infringement.The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling published this week, made clear that l...
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Amended Cooper Davis Act Is a Direct Threat to Encryption
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/amended-cooper-davis-act-direct-threat-encryption
July 20, 2023, 4:30 PM
Last week, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary amended and passed S.1080, which would require private messaging services, social media companies, and even cloud providers to report their users to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) if they find out about certain illegal drug sales. EFF opposes this bill, both in its original and amended form.
The bill, also called the Cooper Davis Act, laudably seeks to address the proliferation of illegally-made fentanyl and resulting overdose deaths in...
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You Can Help Stop These Bad Internet Bills
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/you-can-help-stop-these-bad-internet-bills
July 18, 2023, 7:56 PM
Red alert! For the last six months, EFF, our supporters, and dozens of other groups have been sounding the alarm about several #BadInternetBills that have been put forward in Congress. We’ve made it clear that these bills are terrible ideas, but Congress is now considering packaging them together—possibly into must-pass legislation. I’m asking you to join us, ACLU, Fight for the Future, and other digital rights defenders in a week of action to protect the internet. Will you take a few minu...
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EFF Supports the PRESS Act to Protect Journalists
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/eff-supports-press-act-protect-journalists
July 18, 2023, 7:47 PM
The Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying (PRESS) Act is the long overdue federal shield law that would, at last, provide strong protections to journalists against government surveillance and forced disclosure of their confidential sources.  EFF strongly supports this bill, and hopes to see it become law. 
Several Senators and Representatives, including Senator Ron Wyden, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Richard Durbin, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Kevin Kiley, re-introduced the bipartisan, bicamera...
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A Broad Federal Publicity Right Is a Risky Answer to Generative AI Problems
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/broad-federal-publicity-right-risky-answer-generative-ai-problems
July 18, 2023, 6:59 PM
As users continue to experiment with generative AI tools, artists are increasingly concerned that use of the tools to mimic their respective “styles” will put them out of business. In addition to the now-infamous AI-generated song that seemed to feature Drake and The Weeknd, digital artists, musicians, actors, writers, and others are seeing their names regularly invoked, without their permission, to generate new works.  
Despite the flurry of lawsuits, those new works and the training of th...
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EFF Poker Tournament at DEF CON 31 ♠️
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/eff-poker-tournament-def-con-31
July 17, 2023, 7:31 PM
The summer is upon us and that means only one thing, the DEF CON hacking conference is almost here! We're thrilled to announce that security expert Tarah Wheeler will host EFF's second annual charity poker tournament at the Horseshoe Poker Room on Friday, August 11. Get ready for an unforgettable event with emcee Ohm-I and many more special guests! This is an official DEF CON 31 contest, but all are welcome to participate in some friendly competition to support civil liberties and human rights ...
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Ecuador's Judicial System Must Reaffirm Ola Bini's Innocence In the Face of Prosecutor's Office Appeal
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/ecuadors-judicial-system-must-reaffirm-ola-binis-innocence-face-prosecutors-office
July 17, 2023, 4:27 PM
On January 31, the Swedish computer security expert and free software developer, Ola Bini, was found not guilty by a unanimous verdict from a three-judge tribunal in Ecuador. This marked the culmination of an unfounded criminal prosecution that has persisted for over four years. The Prosecutor’s Office appealed the acquittal, however, dragging out this problematic criminal case and suspending the court’s decision to lift the precautionary measures pending against Bini. As a result, Bini cann...
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Even the Government Thinks It Should Stop Buying Corporate Surveillance Data
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/even-government-thinks-it-should-stop-buying-corporate-surveillance-data
July 14, 2023, 6:52 PM
Intern Nicholas Wilson was the primary author of this post.
U.S. government intelligence agencies are buying data about us. The danger to our civil liberties is so extreme that even the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said things have gone too far in a detailed report released in June.
The report explains that federal intelligence agencies, like the NSA and FBI, do more than just conduct their own surveillance: they also buy data from private surveillance companies. This i...
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Victory! Ninth Circuit Allows Human Rights Case to Move Forward Against Cisco Systems
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/victory-ninth-circuit-allows-human-rights-case-move-forward-against-cisco-systems
July 13, 2023, 3:57 AM
People around the world have been searching for ways to hold accountable companies that build tools for government repression. From massive surveillance systems to state-sponsored malware, governments around the world are increasingly using technology to locate, track, and engage in human rights abuses against disfavored communities, journalists, and activists.
In a tremendous victory for the victims of those tools of repression, the Ninth Circuit cleared a path of legal accountability for Ameri...
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EU Media Freedom Act: A Media Privilege in Content Moderation Is a Really Bad Idea
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/eu-media-freedom-act-media-privilege-content-moderation-really-bad-idea
July 12, 2023, 2:29 PM
Introduced in September 2022 by the European Commission as part of the “new push for European Union Democracy,” the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) seeks to promote media pluralism and independence across the EU. 
EMFA in a Nutshell
The EMFA sets out rights and obligations for ‘media service providers’, including rules on transparency about media ownership and protections against political interference. The proposed bill also introduces valuable safeguards against surveillance powers ...
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Celebrating 33 Years of EFF
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/celebrating-33-years-eff
July 10, 2023, 2:37 PM
Patience is a virtue. And so is tenacity.
We are elated to celebrate the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 33rd anniversary today. EFF has officially been working toward internet freedom longer than many people have been online. I'm grateful to EFF's supporters for ensuring that digital rights remain important and vital, even as the internet itself becomes a crucial yet often overlooked fact of life for most.
What would the world be without any privacy or free expression online? You can see exa...
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EFF's Comment to the Meta Oversight Board on United States Posts Discussing Abortion
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/effs-comment-meta-oversight-board-united-states-posts-discussing-abortion
July 10, 2023, 9:16 AM
This post was co-authored with EFF legal intern Virginia Kennedy.
EFF recently submitted comments to the Meta Oversight Board’s call for submissions last month about posts in the United States discussing abortion that were removed under the company’s violence and incitement policy.
EFF’s comments address the over-removal of abortion-related content and the use of automated technologies to identify such content, as well as the need for contextualization in content moderation. EFF’s commen...
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Generative AI Policy Must Be Precise, Careful, and Practical: How to Cut Through the Hype and Spot Potential Risks in New Legislation
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/generative-ai-policy-must-be-precise-careful-and-practical-how-cut-through-hype
July 7, 2023, 4:18 PM
Anxiety about generative AI is growing almost as fast as the use of the technology itself, fueled by dramatic rhetoric from prominent figures in tech, entertainment, and national security. Something, they suggest, must be done to stave off any number of catastrophes, from the death of the artist to the birth of new robot overlords.
Given the often hyperbolic tone, it might be tempting (and correct) to dismiss much of this as the usual moral panic new technologies provoke, or self-interested hyp...
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Settled Human Rights Standards as Building Blocks for Platform Accountability and Regulation: A Contribution to the Brazilian Debate
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/settled-human-rights-standards-building-blocks-platform-accountability-and
July 7, 2023, 2:00 PM
Download the report
Since at least a decade ago, human rights institutions have acknowledged the enabling potential of the internet to realize a range of human rights. Digital technologies have been incredibly transformative tools for allowing people to speak out against arbitrary acts of public and private powers, empowering the expression of historically vulnerable, marginalized and silenced groups, catalyzing civic organization and participation, and facilitating innovative ways to collectiv...
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Expanding Broadband in Portland, The Time Is Now
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/expanding-broadband-portland-time-now
July 6, 2023, 8:30 PM
Access to high-speed internet in our homes is an essential service like water and electricity, not a luxury. Our local and regional governments have a responsibility to provide equitable, accessible, and affordable fast-internet service to every home and business- just like electricity, water, and waste removal. Portland, Oregon, has existing infrastructure that can be used to provide affordable access to fast-internet for all Portlanders: a publicly owned dark fiber network used for essential c...
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The U.S. Patent Office Should Drop Proposed Rules That Favor Patent Trolls
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/us-patent-office-should-drop-proposed-rules-favor-patent-trolls
July 6, 2023, 4:17 PM
More than 14,000 people and organizations, including EFF, have sent public comments responding to a wrongheaded proposal by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to change the rules about patent challenges in a way that would favor patent trolls. 
If implemented, the proposed rule changes could seriously damage the system of “inter partes reviews,” or IPRs, that Congress created 10 years ago. The IPR system is far from perfect, but it has been effective in holding patent trolls accou...
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