Recording Industry Claims Imaginary Value Gap as a Bigger Threat Than Piracy
One of the most significant events that took place at this month's meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), that EFF attended, wasn't part of the meeting's formal agenda. It came at a side-meeting organized by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an affiliate of...
Nominate a 2017 Pioneer!
Nominations are now open for EFF's 26th Annual Pioneer Awards, to be presented this fall in San Francisco. EFF established the Pioneer Awards in 1992 to recognize leaders who are extending freedom and innovation in the realm of technology. The nomination window will be open until 11:59pm PDT on...
RCEP's Digital Trade Negotiations Remain Shrouded in Secrecy
From May 2-12, the Philippines hosted the 18th round of negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a TPP-like trade agreement covering ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six partner countries – China, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Access to the...
Secret New European Copyright Proposal Spells Disaster for Free Culture
EFF has learned about a new proposal for European law that takes aim at online streaming services, but which will strike a serious blow to creators and their fans. The proposal, which would effectively ban online streaming services from hosting works under free licenses, could spell an end to services...
California Authorities Are Failing to Track and Prevent Abuse of Police Databases
Police in California have your data literally at their fingertips. They can sit at a computer terminal or in their squad car and check your DMV records, your criminal records, your parking citations, any restraining orders you’ve filed or have been filed against you. They can search other state databases...
European Publishing Lobby Forces Compromise on Marrakesh Treaty
The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled was one of the most fiercely contested treaty negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Representatives of publishers and other copyright holder groups spent years unashamedly lobbying...
Oakland City Council Committee Advances Measure to Require Transparency and Public Process for Surveillance Tech
On May 9, the Public Safety Committee of the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to approve a proposed “Surveillance and Community Safety Ordinance.” The measure, passed on to the Council by the city’s Privacy Advisory Commission, is modeled on a law enacted in spring 2016 by Santa...
California Assembly Considers Bill to Protect Data from ICE
Local and state governments regularly collect personal information about us and store it in databases–often without our knowledge and consent. Even when government has a seemingly benevolent purpose for doing so, government all too often reuses that data in a manner that hurts us.
Given Pres. Donald Trump’s ...
In Providence, Policymakers Delay Visionary Local Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Reforms
Recent events in Providence, RI demonstrate both how a sustained grassroots campaign can create opportunities for civil rights and civil liberties, and also how quickly those opportunities can be derailed by institutional actors. While the latest City Council decision delayed reform efforts and frustrated community members,...
