Censoring the Web Isn't the Solution to Terrorism or Counterfeiting. It's the Problem.
In politics, as with Internet memes, ideas don't spread because they are good—they spread because they are good at spreading. One of the most virulent ideas in Internet regulation in recent years has been the idea that if a social problem manifests on the Web, the best thing that...
EFF to Court: Don’t Waste Time, A “Picture Menu” is Not Patentable
Yesterday, EFF filed an amicus brief at the Federal Circuit urging it to confirm that U.S. Patent No. 6,585,516 improperly claims ineligible abstract ideas. In the brief, we argue that the patent on using picture menus stored in a database to create meals should never have been granted...
Rain or Shine: Bay Area Internet Users Take the Net Neutrality Fight to City Hall
"We want information to flow like water,” protesters yelled outside San Francisco City Hall in the pouring rain, rallying in support of keeping the Internet open. The rally was in advance of a...
Stupid Patent of the Month: Who Wants to Buy Teamwork From Penn State?
Ever wanted to own the latest in “teamwork” technology? Well, you’re in luck. On December 8, Penn State is holding a large patent auction, and one of the items is U.S. Patent 8,442,839. This patent purports to describe an improved collaborative “decision-making process.” As well as being a...
EFF Joins the Call for a NIST We Can Trust
It’s looking like we might be on the brink of another crypto war. The first one, in the 90s, was a misguided attempt to limit the public’s access to strong, secure cryptography. And since then, the reasons we need the good security provided by strong crypto have only...
Speakeasy: São Paulo
UPDATE: The gathering has moved upstairs from Bar Estônia to Ramona Restaurant.
Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Panoptykon Foundation for a drink or a bite on Tuesday, December 9th in São Paulo! Raise a glass with us and discover the latest work protecting...
Telecoms Fulfilled 90+ Illegitimate Subpoenas from New Mexico
New Mexico law is so devoid of any established authority for this practice, a reasonable prosecutor, upon the exercise of diligent research could determine that the practice was very probably unlawful.
- Judge John Paternoster, Eighth Judicial District of New Mexico
The National Security Agency isn’t the only agency...
Detekt: A New Malware Detection Tool That Can Expose Illegitimate State Surveillance
Balancing Profits and Human Rights: How ICT Companies Can Lift Their Game
This week EFF attended a meeting of the Human Rights Working Group of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a global industry forum that includes many of the world's largest IT and communications companies, including AT&T, BlackBerry, HP, Microsoft, Telefónica, Verizon, and Vodafone.
Responding to both global and...
When the Time Comes We'll Need to Step Up the Fight Against TPP's Secret, Anti-User Agenda
If you missed our live teach-in yesterday on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and its restrictive, anti-user provisions, you can still check out the video of our discussion. It's embedded below. We invited experts from digital rights groups from several TPP countries—all members of the Fair...
