Payment Provider Stripe Levels Up on Transparency
Fast-growing online payment provider Stripe announced on Friday that they were embracing transparency around government requests. When the company receives a legal request to shut down a user’s account, Stripe will send a copy to the transparency website Chilling Effects, a site maintained by EFF and law...
New Book Details the NSA’s Warrantless Wiretapping Program, As Government Moves to Avoid All Accountability in Court
Former New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald’s new book, published last week, provides yet more details about how the the NSA’s unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping program came about, and confirms that even top Bush Administration lawyers felt there was a “strong argument” that the program violated the law. “Officials...
Cleansing the Internet of Terrorism: EU-Funded Project Seeks To Erode Civil Liberties
A new project aimed at “countering illegal use of the Internet” is making headlines this week. The project, dubbed CleanIT, is funded by the European Commission (EC) to the tune of more than $400,000 and, it would appear, aims to eradicate the Internet of terrorism.
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A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix: What's Actually Getting Shared and How You Can Opt Out
Iran Moves to Isolate Its Citizens Online
The news that Iran might be seeking to create a 'halal Internet' isn't new. But while speculation about Iran's withdrawal from the online world abounds, the country's recent move to block Gmail and—though inconsistently—Google Search, is one of the first concrete measures to indicate just how serious the plans...
Privacy Rights Activism in Latin America
New Study Affirms Fewer Copyright Restrictions Benefit the Economy, Amid Renewed Calls for SOPA 2.0
A new study from Australia presents the latest evidence that loosening copyright restrictions not only enables free speech, but can improve an economy as well. The study, published by the Australian Digital Alliance, indicated that if Australia expanded copyright exceptions like fair use, along with strengthening safe harbor...
Do Not Track Update: From Congressional Hearings to Uproar Over Microsoft’s "Default" Settings, the Fight for User Privacy Continues
This is part one of a two part series on current updates in Do Not Track. Part two will explore issues around default settings in more depth.
As summer wanes, EFF and other digital rights advocates are continuing to fight for Do Not Track, a one-click browser-based signal...
YouTube's Censorship of Anti-Islam Video Raises Numerous Questions Around Online Free Expression
The reactions over the past week to a video, 'The Innocence of Muslims'—made by an Egyptian-American Christian and later shown by Egyptian television, sparking riots—have varied wildly. While some governments have banned YouTube (where a trailer of the video remains available) altogether, YouTube chose on its own volition to...
Threats to Internet Freedom on the Rise in Vietnam
Internet Censorship watchdog OpenNetInitiative has released an updated report on the state of online freedom of expression in Vietnam and the verdict is grim. The Communist republic has placed heavy restrictions on the dissemination of information for decades, but in 2012 the government has introduced regulations that would provide...




