Federal Court Rules Suspicionless Searches of Travelers’ Phones and Laptops Unconstitutional
BOSTON—In a major victory for privacy rights at the border, a federal court in Boston ruled today that suspicionless searches of travelers’ electronic devices by federal agents at airports and other U.S. ports of entry are unconstitutional. The ruling came in a lawsuit, Alasaad v. McAleenan, filed by...
EFF Sues DHS to Obtain Information About the Agency’s Use of Rapid DNA Testing on Migrant Families at the Border
San Francisco—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today to obtain information that will shine a light on the agency’s use of Rapid DNA technology on migrant families at the border to verify biological parent-child relationships.In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) complaint filed...
EFF Comments on DOJ Proposed Rule to Collect DNA from Immigrant Detainees - November 2019
What Reporters Should Look For in Latest Facebook Document Leak
NBC’s latest release of 7,000 pages of leaked internal Facebook documents has revealed how Facebook treated user data as leverage with external developers and spun anti-competitive moves as privacy improvements. As members of the press and civil society continue to inspect this massive volume of information in the...
EFF Urges Court to Reconsider Decision That Harms Internet Users’ Ability to Protect Themselves Online
Update 12/31/19: Unfortunately, the Ninth Circuit declined to rehear the case and endorsed its original holding. However, the three-judge panel issued a revised opinion that deleted problematic language in the original opinion that had stated, "[T]he criteria for blocking online material must be based on the characteristics of...
With a Raid on Javier Smaldone, Argentinian Authorities Have Restarted Their Harassment of E-Voting Critics
Javier Smaldone is a well-known figure in the Argentinian infosec community. As a security researcher, he’s worked to highlight the flaws in electronic voting in Argentina, despite the country’s local and federal attempts to move ahead with insecure software and electoral procedures.The Argentinian authorities have a reputation of...
Publishers Should be Making E-Book Licensing Better, Not Worse
Macmillan, one of the “Big Five” publishers, is imposing new limits on libraries’ access to ebooks—and libraries and their users are fighting back.Starting last week, the publisher is imposing a two-month embargo period on library ebooks. When Macmillan releases a new book, library systems will be...
FTC Takes Action Against Stalkerware Company Retina-X
The FTC recently took action against stalkerware developer Retina-X, the company behind apps MobileSpy, PhoneSheriff, and Teenspy. The FTC settlement bars Retina-X from distributing its mobile apps until it can adequately secure user information and ensure its apps will only be used for “legitimate purposes.” But here’s...
Join EFF for Aaron Swartz Day This Weekend at The Internet Archive
Join EFF and others on November 9 at the Internet Archive for Aaron Swartz Day—an annual event to celebrate Aaron Swartz’s legacy as an activist, programmer, entrepreneur, and political organizer. Aaron’s life was cut short in 2013, after he was charged under the notoriously draconian Computer Fraud and...










