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EFFector - Volume 27, Issue 16 - Facing jail time for sharing research

EFFECTOR

EFFector - Volume 27, Issue 16 - Facing jail time for sharing research

 
 
EFFector! Electronic Frontier Foundation
 
 

In our 668th issue:

Stand Together To Promote Open Access Worldwide

Colombian graduate student Diego Gomez currently faces up to eight years in prison for doing something thousands of researchers do every day: posting research results online for those who would not otherwise have a way to access them. We're asking people to sign a statement supporting open access as the default for scholarly communication, which would make cases like Diego's obsolete. Sign today and to stand alongside EFF, Creative Commons, Fundación Karisma, the Internet Archive, Public Knowledge, Open Access Button, and the Right to Research Coalition, and many more.

Tor Challenge Inspires 1,635 Tor Relays

Good news for whistleblowers, journalists, and everyone who likes to browse the Internet with an added cloak of privacy: the Tor network got a little stronger. Tor--software that lets you mask your IP address--relies on an international network of committed volunteers to run relays to help mask traffic. And that network is even more robust now, thanks to the 1,000+ volunteers who participated in our second-ever Tor Challenge.

Nine Epic Failures of Regulating Cryptography

Apple has announced that it is providing basic encryption on mobile devices that the company cannot bypass, even in response to a request from law enforcement. Google has promised to take similar steps in the near future. Predictably, law enforcement has responded with howls of alarm. When the FBI was seriously hinting in 2010 that it was going to try to mandate that all communications systems have "back doors," we marshaled eight "epic failures" of regulating crypto. In honor of the current debate, we've revisited that post, and added a ninth.

EFF Updates

Celebrating Free Expression and the Open Flow of Information for Banned Books Week

People around the world marked Banned Books Week last week by drawing attention to book bans or challenges in libraries and schools. Here at EFF, we celebrated by revisiting our favorite banned and challenged works and checking out some of the texts at issue in important First Amendment cases. It's directly in line with our work fighting for your rights to free expression and open access to information.

 

EFF Wins Release of Warner Bros. Documents On Robo-Takedown System

A federal judge in Florida has ruled that Warner Brothers Entertainment must release key information about its automated scheme to send copyright infringement notices to websites. The documents will give the public a better look into robo-takedowns and their potential for abuse as Congress considers changes to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Court Lets Cisco Systems Off the Hook for Helping China Detain, Torture Religious Minorities

Chinese citizens who suffered forced detention, torture, and brutal human rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government have been engaged in a high profile court case against Silicon Valley mainstay Cisco Systems for many years. Those Chinese citizens have now suffered yet another indignity in a California court: a district judge dismissed the case against Cisco without even giving them the chance to gather evidence on the key point where the court found them wanting.

New Company Transparency Reports Help Quantify DMCA Abuse

It's a sign of the times that online companies' transparency reports are starting to include a new section: the Hall of Shame. Automattic, the company behind WordPress, is the latest to do so, highlighting examples of copyright and trademark overreach. But these cases of egregious abuse tell only part of the story, and transparency reports also help call attention to a more subtle issue: services routinely receive large numbers of bogus takedown demands.

Australian Government Scrambles to Authorize Mass Surveillance

Australia is poised to enter a new era of mass surveillance, authorized by legislative proposals that would regulate speech and data retention. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has used terrorist threats as the backdrop of a dire warning to Australians that "for some time to come, the delicate balance between freedom and security may have to shift. There may be more restrictions on some, so that there can be more protection for others."

Back to School: Get Your Digital Rights Student Group Started Right Away

This year student protest and resistance to mass surveillance will be bursting at the seams. The Internet, which students across the world have grown up with, is under threat. And now more than ever, student leaders are contacting EFF, wanting to know how to get involved to protect our rights online.

miniLinks

Which Celebrity Is Taking a Taxi Where?

The Interdisciplinary Internet Institute demonstrates the risks of "anonymized" data sets with deanonymization efforts aimed at recently released New York City taxi data.

It’s Time for a Real Debate on Reader Privacy

Writing for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Josh Stearns calls on newsrooms to lead the fight for reader privacy--instead of facilitating surveillance.

Cloudflare Launches Free SSL For its Customers

Content delivery network CloudFlare announced today that it will begin offering automatic Secure Socket Layer encryption for any site in its free or paid tiers, without the need to pay for or configure an encryption certificate.

Why we need Tor now more than ever

EFF's Jillian York notes that Edward Snowden's leaked documents have shifted the focus of the global conversation around Internet freedom from censorship to surveillance, but that the two forces are inextricably linked.

Supported by Members

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate.

Please consider becoming an EFF member today.

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Administrivia

Editor: Parker Higgins, Activist
editor@eff.org

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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Membership & donation queries: membership@eff.org

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Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. MiniLinks do not necessarily represent the views of EFF.

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Announcements

Pioneer Awards 2014

On October 2 in San Francisco, we will celebrate the work of the 2014 Pioneer Award winners: groundbreaking investigative artist Trevor Paglen, champion of international free expression Frank LaRue, and Congressional Internet defender Zoe Lofgren. Join us for drinks, bytes, and celebration. Tickets are on sale now!

World Congress on Information Technology

EFF Deputy General Counsel Kurt Opsahl will participate in a panel session at WCIT (World Congress on Information Technology) entitled "Internet Governance: Rights, Responsibilities, Roles, Trust and Integrity."
October 1, 2014
Guadalajara, Mexico

Data Protection, Cybersecurity & Human Rights

EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury will take part in a panel discussing communications providers' obligations to preserve human rights when dealing with state requests for user data.
October 9, 2014
Vienna, Austria

Internet Governance: Actors, Technology, Content

EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, Jillian York, will speak at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society's conference on Internet governance.
October 10, 2014
Berlin, Germany

EFF at Future Days

EFF's Jillian York will speak at Future Places' Future Days festival.
October 15-18, 2014
Porto, Portugal

The Next Crypto Wars, Or How We Never Learned to Stop Regulating Exports

EFF Staff Attorney Nate Cardozo will give the keynote address at Kuala Lumpur's Hack in the Box security conference.
October 15, 2014
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Das ist Netzpolitik!

EFF's Jillian York will speak at Netzpolitik's 10-year anniversary event.
October 17, 2014
Berlin, Germany

EFF is Hiring

EFF is seeking applicants for the position of staff technologist or senior staff technologist. Join our team of hackers and computer scientists working to defend Internet freedom and make the network better for its users.

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