Press Releases: November, 2006
American Travelers to Get Secret 'Risk Assessment' Scores
EFF Fights Huge Data-Mining Program Set for Rollout on U.S. Borders
Washington, D.C. - An invasive and unprecedented data-mining system is set to be deployed on U.S. travelers Monday, despite substantial questions about Americans' privacy. In comments sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked the agency to delay the program's rollout until it makes more details available to the public and addresses critical privacy and due process concerns.
Self-Help Group Backs Off Attack on Internet Critic
Landmark Forum Withdraws Subpoena for Identity of Anonymous Poster
San Francisco - A controversial self-help group has backed off its attack on an Internet critic after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) intervened in the case.
EFF Accepts Barney's Surrender
Purple Dinosaur Backs Off and Pays Up; Free Speech Rights Preserved
San Francisco - The corporate owners of the popular children's television character Barney the Purple Dinosaur have agreed to withdraw their baseless legal threats against a website publisher who parodied the character and to compensate him for fees expended in defending himself.
EFF Fights to Shield Email from Secret Government Searches
Email Deserves Same Constitutional Protections as Phone Calls, Postal Mail
San Francisco - The government must have a search warrant before it can search and seize emails stored by email service providers, according to a friend-of-the-court brief filed last week by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of civil liberty groups. EFF filed the brief in support of a landmark district court decision finding that the federal Stored Communications Act (SCA) violates the Fourth Amendment by allowing secret, warrantless searches and seizures of email stored with a third party.
Sarasota Voters File Lawsuit for Re-vote in Congressional Race
Local Voters Supported by Election Advocacy Groups Including EFF
EFF Files Suit for Answers About New International Air Passenger Data Deal
Department of Homeland Security Dodges Records' Disclosure
Washington DC - The FLAG Project at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today, demanding information about a new agreement on the handling of air passenger data from flights between the European Union (EU) and the United States.
Two years ago, the U.S. and EU made a controversial deal requiring airlines to give DHS access to detailed passenger information from EU flights to and from the U.S. In May, the European Court of Justice struck down the agreement, finding it at odds with EU law. But the U.S. and EU reached a new agreement last month that will give U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies greater access to the data than the previous deal did. EFF filed its suit after DHS failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records about the handling of data under the new agreement, including how they are maintained, used, disclosed, and secured.
"Travelers may give up a lot of personal information when they make flight reservations," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "Those traveling between Europe and the United States deserve to know who gets to see that data, how the information is protected, and whether those practices comply with EU law."
EFF's FLAG Project uses FOIA requests and litigation to expose the government's expanding use of technologies that invade privacy. Previous lawsuits have demanded information about the FBI's huge database of personal information, as well as records on the FBI's electronic surveillance systems.
"When federal agencies don't comply with the FOIA's requirements, they may conceal activities and programs that raise serious legal issues and put Americans' privacy at risk," said Hofmann. "The Department of Homeland Security must abide by the law and give the public information about the new passenger data agreement."
For the FOIA complaint filed against the Department of Homeland Security:
http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/dhs_pass_data/dhs_complaint.pdf
For more on the FLAG Project:
http://www.eff.org/flag
Contact:
Marcia Hofmann
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
marcia@eff.org
California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Free Speech on the Internet
San Francisco - In what is a victory for free speech on the Internet, the California Supreme Court ruled today that no provider or user of an interactive computer service may be held liable for putting material on the Internet that was written by someone else. In doing so, the Court overruled an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal.
Florida Voters to Sue for Re-vote in Sarasota Congressional Race
Press Conference Tuesday, November 21, 2006 by EFF, Voter Action,
People For the American Way Foundation, the ACLU of Florida
Tallahassee, FL - The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Voter
Action, People For the American Way Foundation, and the
ACLU of Florida will hold a press conference tomorrow to
announce a lawsuit calling for a re-vote in Sarasota
County's portion of Florida's 13th Congressional District.
Speakers at the event will include Reggie Mitchell of
PFAWF, Lowell Finley of Voter Action, and Larry Spalding of
ACLU-Florida. The event will also feature one of the
EFF to Fight Against Spying Case Delays in Friday Hearing
Judge to Consider Next Steps in Class Action Lawsuits
San Francisco - On Friday, November 17, at 10:30 a.m., a federal judge in San Francisco will consider the next steps in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) class-action lawsuit against AT&T.
EFF's suit accuses the telecom giant of collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in illegal spying on millions of ordinary Americans. Other cases recently transferred to U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's courtroom include similar allegations.
EFF Asks Supreme Court to Tackle Secret Law
Americans Have the Right to See Laws They Must Follow
Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of non-profit organizations asked the U.S. Supreme Court Monday to hear a case challenging a secret law governing travelers in American airports.
Electronic Voting Machine Headaches Shut Out Citizens
Delays Mean Long Lines for Voters in Florida, Utah, and Other States
San Francisco - Problems with electronic voting machine failures kept some polls from opening, created long lines, and left many voters puzzled about whether their votes were counted in Tuesday's high stakes election.
Court Grants Appeal in AT&T Spying Case
EFF Battles Effort to Dismiss Surveillance Lawsuit
San Francisco - The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced today that it will hear the U.S. government's and AT&T's appeal of a district court's decision allowing the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) case against AT&T to go forward. The lawsuit alleges that AT&T collaborated in the National Security Agency's (NSA's) illegal spying program. The 9th Circuit did not rule on the merits of the appeal.
Craigslist Sex Ad Scammer Seeks to Silence Critics
Baseless Copyright Claims Used to Shut Down Debate Over Privacy Controversy
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit today against the man behind "craigslist-perverts.org" -- a website that publicized responses to fake personal advertisements posted on Craigslist.org -- on behalf of an online journalist who criticized the controversial outing campaign and received legal threats in return.
