Keeping a Global Eye on Copyright Law

We spend a lot of our time at EFF trying to spot new proposals in copyright across the world, and understanding whether they're good or bad for civil liberties. We're not the only ones: our understanding depends on the work of hundreds of researchers worldwide who are constantly sifting through new drafts and consolidating older reforms in hundreds of nations.

It's a global effort, and that's why we're happy to announce our involvement in a truly global project: Copyright Watch. Working with academics, libraries and copyright monitors from across the world, Copyright Watch brings together the most recent copies of laws from as many countries as we could find. And with that global team, we'll be tracking new proposals, consultations, and freshly passed regulations: finding the promising changes, and highlighting the spectacularly bad ideas hopefully before they can take hold.

A single country's copyright law can be truly byzantine (the United States' seems to be the longest at around 130,000 words, although we're pretty sure Afghanistan has the shortest, lacking as it does any copyright regulations at all). And right now, every one of the 184 countries in Copyright Watch's database is struggling to reform their regulations to fit the difficulties and opportunities of the digital age.

It's a real challenge to map all of these laws, and all of these changes. But it's vital that we do so. Every shift in any of those countries might spread: whether it's for good or ill, maximalist or reforming. Lawmakers eagerly look for track records in other nations, or are obliged to adopt another's bad laws through treaty or trade agreement. Japan decides to model their new law's exceptions on the United State's broad fair use principles; politicians see France's three strikes laws, and decide to import them wholesale. We're hoping Copyright Watch will give the public as powerful a tool for monitoring the global copyright outlook as any private interest.

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Become a Google Policy Fellow and Work with EFF Next Summer

If you're a student or researcher who is passionate about improving technology policy and you're interested in working with EFF, consider applying for the Google Policy Fellowship — a 10-week, summer program that gives students the chance to work alongside a public interest organization on topics of Internet and technology policy.

Marcel Leonardi, last year's Google Policy Fellow at EFF, was a pleasure to work with and enjoyed his experience with us: "It was a complete privilege to work with such smart, passionate and fun people; to be able to participate in important debates with several organizations, and to do research with full academic freedom. I am proud of being a Google Policy Fellow."

Much like how Google's "Summer of Code" project aims to develop and promote open source projects, Google is hoping that these policy fellowships will advance debate on key policy issues affecting the public. Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,000 for 10 weeks during the summer of 2010 (June to August). Applications are due by midnight on Monday, December 28, 2009. Students who are accepted into the program will be notified by Friday, February 12th, 2010. For more information, read the FAQ, learn more about EFF's focus areas and check out the application.

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Got Any Questions for LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman?

On Thursday, October 22, EFF hosts the 2009 Pioneer Awards in conjunction with the Web 2.0 Summit, and keynote speaker Reid Hoffman will be answering pre-submitted questions from EFF supporters. Wanna know how he came up with the idea for LinkedIn? Curious about what he thinks the Next Big Thing will be? Here's your chance to ask!

Reid Hoffman is the Executive Chairman and co-founder of LinkedIn, the business-oriented social networking site. Before LinkedIn, Reid was Executive Vice President of PayPal and has also held management roles at Fujitsu Software Corporation and Apple. Reid serves on the Board of Directors for SixApart, Kiva.org, and the Mozilla Corporation.

Reid will be interviewed on stage by EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn, who will present pre-submitted questions alongside a collection of our own inquiries on innovation and digital freedom. If you have a question you'd like to ask, please submit it to events@eff.org no later than noon on Thursday, October 22.

The EFF Pioneer Awards have been presented since 1992 to honor leaders in the fight for freedom and innovation on the electronic frontier. This year's winners -- Limor Fried (aka Ladyada), Harri Hursti and Carl Malamud -- have made a critical impact on our digital future with their efforts in open-source hardware and software hacking, electronic voting, and public domain advocacy.

Buy your tickets for the 2009 Pioneer Awards today and save!

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Google Should Use Extra Time to Add Privacy Into Google Book Search

Today EFF along with the ACLU and the privacy authors and publishers they represent, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries and the Association of College and Research Libraries, CDT, EPIC, SFLC, Professor James Grimmelman sent a joint letter to Google urging it to include privacy protections along with its reconsidered Google Book Search Settlement.

The Court considering the Google Book Search case granted the parties more time to renegotiate the settlement. The Court had received approximately 435 submissions about the settlement by both class members and amici. The American Library Association did a helpful analysis that estimates that 390 of the submissions object to the settlement and another 8 submissions support the settlement but with significant reservations. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Justice weighed in with serious reservations as well, leading the plaintiffs to seek the extension. The Court will still meet with the parties for a status conference on October 7.

The joint letter asks Google to take this time to implement the privacy suggestions made by EFF and others, noting author Jonathan Lethem's statement: "now is the moment to make sure that Google Book Search is as private as the world of physical books. If future readers know that they are leaving a digital trail for others to follow, they may shy away from important but eccentric intellectual journeys."

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Stomping Grapes for EFF in Indiana

Earlier this month, we received an exciting letter in the mail from the Vevay, Indiana Tourism Board.

During our 38th Swiss Wine Festival (one of Indiana's Top 10 Festivals) held this August 27-30, we will be debuting a new event. Our First Annual "Media Celebrity Grape Stomp for Charity" will feature on-air celebrities from television and radio, newspaper columnists, professional bloggers and freelance writers. Celebrities from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky will go toe-to-toe in a wooden barrel of grapes competing to "out-stomp" their competition in hopes of winning a check to their favorite charity! First prize is $1000, Second is $500 with Third at $250.

The event will take place at noon at Paul Ogle Riverfront Park in Vevay, Ind., at the official grape stomping stage.

I am excited to inform you that Michael Wigren of WKID-FM FROGGY Radio in Vevay, Ind. has selected [the Electronic Frontier Foundation] as his charity should he be one of the Top 3 winning Media Celebrity Grape Stompers.

EFF sends many thanks to Michael Wigren and wishes him the best of luck on the grape stomping stage! If you're reading this from near Vevay, Indiana, consider stopping by the Stomp for Charity to show your support for digital civil liberties.

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EFF Releases Interim Report on the Automated Targeting System

EFF today released an Interim Report on the Automated Targeting System (ATS) through which the Department of Homeland Security monitors and assigns risk assessment scores to Americans and others who cross into or out of the United States. The data reviewed under the ATS system includes seven large government databases, plus the Passenger Name Record data from the airlines (which includes data like whether you've ordered a Muslim or Hindu or Jewish special meal). Effectively, if you travel internationally, ATS creates an instant, personal and detailed dossier on you that CBP officers use to decide whether you get to enter the country, or will be subject to an enhanced (and potentially invasive) search. EFF's report details what we've learned about the ATS program from the over 2,000 pages released by the government so far. We note that because of government's very heavy redacting and refusal to release key information Americans remain in dark about how this powerful system is used on travelers. EFF's Interim report was written by Shana Dines.

DHS has continued to release documents to EFF so we'll update the report as additional useful information comes out.

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BayFF on August 3: Iranian Protests and Digital Media

Update: Archive of the event is here, and photos are here.

Iranians protesting the results of the recent election found an outlet and a means of organizing with the Internet, and showed that new digital media can help free speech and fight repression globally. But what happens now the headlines and the Twitter trends have died down?

If you're in the California Bay Area, join us in San Francisco's PariSoMa on Monday, August 3, from 7pm - 9pm as we discuss the lessons of Iran and other global protests, what's happening now, and how to make the digital media we create serve netizens in authoritarian regimes.

Panelists include Cyrus Farivar, journalist author of the forthcoming "The Internet of Elsewhere", Net activist in the Iranian protests Austin Heap, and EFF's International Outreach Coordinator, Danny O'Brien.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP to events@eff.org. $20 admission; no one turned away for lack of funds. Secure your spot by purchasing tickets online. For more details, see our online calendar.

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Nominate a Pioneer for EFF's 2009 Pioneer Awards!

The EFF Pioneer Awards were established to recognize leaders on the electronic frontier who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of information technology. Each year we field nominations from the EFF community — now is your opportunity to nominate a deserving individual or group to receive a Pioneer Award for 2009!

How to Nominate Someone for a 2009 Pioneer Award:

You may send as many nominations as you wish, but please use one email per nomination. Please submit your entries via email to pioneer@eff.org by August 17th.

Simply tell us:

1. The name of the nominee,
2. The phone number, email address or website by which the nominee can be reached,

and, most importantly,

3. Why you feel the nominee deserves the award.

Nominee Criteria:

There are no specific categories for the EFF Pioneer Awards, but the following guidelines apply:

1. The nominees must have contributed substantially to the health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based communications.
2. To be valid, all nominations must contain your reason, however brief, for nominating the individual or organization and a means of contacting the nominee. In addition, while anonymous nominations will be accepted, ideally we'd like to contact the nominating parties in case
   we need further information.
3. The contribution may be technical, social, economic, or cultural.
4. Nominations may be of individuals, systems, or organizations in the private or public sectors.
5. Nominations are open to all (other than current members of EFF's staff and operating board or this year's award judges), and you may nominate more than one recipient. You may also nominate yourself or your organization.
6. Persons or representatives of organizations receiving an EFF Pioneer Award will be invited to attend the ceremony at EFF's expense.

Check out our Pioneer Awards page for more information on past winners and updates in the future.

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Recommendations for Web Measurement on Government Websites

Today, The Center for Democracy and Technology and EFF are releasing "Open Recommendations for the Use of Web Measurement Tools on Federal Government Web Sites." (Press Release. PDF.) The document recommends repairs to the federal guidelines that regulate the use of cookies and other "persistent tracking technologies" on government websites.

Today, these regulations are problematic: They're both too harshly bureaucratic in some cases and too relaxed in others. They're too harsh because ordinary government webmasters are prohibited from performing even basic traffic analysis without acquiring personal approval from their agency's head — something they say is an insurmountable bureaucratic obstacle in many federal agencies. They're too relaxed because they don’t reach many of the tracking technologies that are in use today. In addition, in the event that the agency head does provide this sign-off, it allows a loophole which can enable the agency to use tracking technologies with almost no oversight or accountability. EFF has recently had first hand experience with this loophole since the White House has still refused to give any explanation, much less provide the actual waiver it recently issued for use of cookies on whitehouse.gov.

As an alternative, CDT and EFF are recommending a sensible way forward: Government webmasters ought to be permitted to use modern analytics tools without agency-head approval, so long as the use of those tools is carefully overseen and meets with specific strict safeguards and requirements.

Many of these safeguards will be familiar to folks who've read EFF's Best Practices For Online Service Providers: Visitor data must be speedily anonymized, and it may not be used for purposes other than traffic analysis. Visitors should be given a clear option allowing them to opt-out of tracking, and agency privacy officers must carefully review and audit the processes. And, importantly, no "agency-head approval" will be sufficient to waive these requirements.

In addition to being smart policy, the adoption of these guidelines would foster smart technology. Current web anaytics systems are notorious for hoarding data irregardless of privacy concerns. The prevailing approach is to collect as much information as possible and store it for as long as possible. To make matters worse, most systems (including the popular Google Analytics) store the data on servers that the web-manager does not own or control, increasing the likelihood that the data will be captured, leaked or misused. Adoption of these recommendations would encourage analytics providers to consider safer and smarter approaches.

The Obama Administration is expected to begin revising federal website policies soon, as part of its "Open Government" initiatives. We hope these recommendations will be incorporated. The result would be a win, both for webmasters seeking data and for citizens seeking privacy.

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Scholarships Now Available for EFF Bootcamp on May 11: Apply Now!

Thanks to the generosity of Google, we can now offer scholarships to individuals who wish to attend the EFF Bootcamp on User-Generated Content taught by EFF attorneys on May 11 at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco.

If you would like to attend the bootcamp, but cannot afford the fee, send us a short note at bootcamp@eff.org, saying why a scholarship is appropriate for you. We'll make the decisions in early May. Sign up now!

The EFF Bootcamp will cover the following topic areas:

• Defamation, harassment, and other accusations of bad behavior.
• Fair use, free culture, and the right to remix.
• Copyright take-downs and put-backs.
• How to respond to cops, crooks, and courts who want your customers' communications and other private information.
• Anonymous speakers.
• Porn, predators, and the pressure to police.
• Open Source issues.
• Employment basics for start-ups.

Thanks to Google for stepping up to help out others who host user-generated content.

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