Category Archives: Privacy

How to Talk to Congress

As this year begins with a new president and new Congress taking power, more people than ever want to know how to make their voices heard in Congress. As the Legislative Counsel at EFF, my job is to help the organization and our supporters reach out to Congress more effectively. We’ve put together this guide… Read More »

EFF to Court: Don't Let California Gag IMDb

California is trying to gag websites from sharing true, publicly available information about actors in the name of age discrimination. But one online service, IMDb, is fighting back. EFF and four other public interest organizations have filed in a friend of the court brief in the case, urging the court not to allow celebrities to… Read More »

Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out

With mere days left before President-elect Donald Trump takes the White House, President Barack Obama’s administration just finalized rules to make it easier for the nation’s intelligence agencies to share unfiltered information about innocent people. New rules issued by the Obama administration under Executive Order 12333 will let the NSA—which collects information under that authority… Read More »

New Video on Encrypting the Web

Encrypting the web is a more important challenge than ever. Now, EFF has teamed up with Sandwich Video and Baratunde Thurston to explain and promote this mission via video. Sandwich is the production company behind some of the best product launch videos in tech, and you may know Baratunde from his work on The Daily… Read More »

Government Pressure Shutters Backpage's Adult Services Section

Succumbing to years of government pressure, the online classified ads website Backpage.com has shut down its adult services section. Just like Craigslist before it, Backpage faced the difficult choice of censoring an entire forum for online speech rather than continue to endure the costly onslaught of state and federal government efforts seeking to hold it… Read More »

Intelligence Director Removes Key Privacy Safeguards for Raw Intelligence

The Director of National Intelligence has announced new rules that permit intelligence agencies to disseminate “raw” signals intelligence without first removing or “minimizing” personal information. EPIC and other civil liberties groups opposed these changes in a letter last year to the Director, explaining that the changes would “fatally weaken existing restrictions on access to the… Read More »

FTC Sues D-Link Over Poor Security in Internet Routers and Cameras

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Internet of Things device maker D-Link. The complaint alleges that D-Link failed to use adequate security in its internet cameras and routers despite promises that the devices were “easy to secure” and used “advanced network security.” The poor security practices alleged by the FTC include using… Read More »

EPIC Calls on FCC to Prohibit Forced Arbitration

EPIC and a coalition of privacy advocates have submitted comments asking the FCC to prohibit forced arbitration clauses in communications contracts. Arbitration clauses require consumers to settle complaints in private proceedings out of court, often in inconvenient locations and before arbitrators of the company’s choosing. The comments note that forced arbitration clauses allow corporations to… Read More »