A Deeper Look Inside the PECB, Pakistan’s Terrible Cyber-Crime Bill
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) has received harsh criticism inside and outside of Pakistan since its radical re-drafting in April of this year. A coalition of Pakistan’s leading online rights groups and businesses warned the current version, written with no input from legal experts or technologists, would “adversely...
Bulk Call Details Records Collection Ends: What that Means
The NSA’s collection en masse of the call detail records of millions of ordinary Americans ended quietly at midnight November 29. The bulk collection was phased out after a 180-day transition period provided for in the USA FREEDOM Act. The USA FREEDOM Act was signed by President Obama on...
Stronger Locks, Better Security
Stronger Locks, Better Security
What if, in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris, or cybersecurity attacks on companies and government agencies, the FBI had come to the American people and said: In order to keep you safe, we need you to remove all the locks on your doors and windows and replace them...
Free Router Software Not In The Crosshairs, FCC Clarifies
FCC will not seek to ban free software from wireless routers, according to a clarification it made earlier this month on a rulemaking related to radio devices. An earlier draft of the official proposal included a specific reference to device manufacturers restricting installation of the open-source project DD-WRT.
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Superfish 2.0: Now Dell is Breaking HTTPS
Earlier this year it was revealed that Lenovo was shipping computers preloaded with software called Superfish, which installed its own HTTPS root certificate on affected computers. That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad, except Superfish's certificates all used the same private key. That meant all the...
Stupid Patent of the Month: Infamous Prison Telco Patents Asking Third-Parties for Money
Plenty of businesses rely on third-party payers: parents often pay for college; insurance companies pay most health care bills. Reaching out to potential third-party payers is hardly a new or revolutionary business practice. But someone should tell the Patent Office. Earlier this year, it issued US Patent No. 9,026,468...
Chaos Communication Congress
Join EFF at 32C3, one of the largest technology, security, and activism conferences in the world. Learn how EFF is working to protect online rights and connect with the larger international digital freedom community. Catch some great EFF talks and visit our Safe Harbor 2.0 table near the Anarchist Village...
The Sorry Tale of the PECB, Pakistan's Terrible Electronic Crimes Bill
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a government, in the wake of a national security crisis—or hostage to the perceived threat of one—will pursue and in many cases enact legislation that is claimed to protect its citizens from danger, actual or otherwise. These security laws often include wide-ranging provisions...








