Government agencies sure love their black markers. For transparency activists, receiving overly redacted documents is a guilty pleasure. Sure, we’d all prefer to have the records unmarred by secrecy (except for narrow occasions, such as when the black-outs legitimately protect people’s privacy), but sometimes those redactions are the first indication that we’ve hit pay dirt. Other times, these redactions provide comic relief. In anticipation of Sunshine Week, EFF called for the public to submit the most absurd redactions they’ve seen for for The Foilies, our new “awards” for shenanigans in the Freedom of Information process. The big takeaway from the…
Author: EFFSource
The Supreme Court took a major step in cutting back on abstract software patents last June when it issued its landmark ruling in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank. In essence, the court said that abstract ideas implemented by conventional computer process are not eligible for patent protection. Since then, the PTO has attempted to write guidance applying the law to pending patent applications. Unfortunately, the PTO has floundered and continues to grant far too many invalid patents. This week EFF filed public comments asking the Office to do more to ensure its examiners apply the new law. In our comments,…
Last year, the current President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Junker, declared that his number one priority was to “create a digital single market for consumers and businesses,” in which “consumers can access music, movies and sports events on their electronic devices wherever they are in Europe and regardless of borders”. This is a dream that many Europeans share, and is reflected in the draft report for the European Parliament put together by Julia Reda, which EFF commented on last month. Reda’s proposals to the Commission provide a road-map for how to get from here to there—from a convoluted system…
When was the last time you can remember your city government asking for feedback on privacy? What about the last time you could comment on privacy online, rather than attending a meeting? If you are a resident of Oakland, CA, you can comment right now on how you’d like to see the city handle the recommendations of the Domain Awareness Center Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Privacy and Data Retention (aka the DAC Privacy Policy Committee). These recommendations will be considered by the Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee (PSC) on April 14, and the PSC will pass its recommendations…
EFF is encouraging Canadians to join together tomorrow for a day of action against a dangerous bill that’s navigating through the Canadian legislature and threatening to strip its citizens of their rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, introduces a wide range of sweeping changes to how the Canadian government handles its national security and anti-terrorism efforts. The bill just passed its second reading in the conservative-led House of Commons in late February and the government is now hastily rushing to pass it with less than two weeks of debate. On the surface, this flawed bill seeks to…
Today, the FCC published its new order [PDF] on net neutrality. As promised, the rules start by putting net neutrality on the right legal footing, which means they have a much stronger chance of surviving the inevitable legal challenge. This is the culmination of years of work by public interest advocates and a massive outpouring of public support over the past year. Make no mistake, this is a win for Team Internet! Now, what about the rules themselves? We’re still reviewing, but there’s much to appreciate, including bright line rules against blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of Internet traffic. For…
Yesterday, a jury found that the 2013 song “Blurred Lines” was an infringement of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” composition from 1977. Following the 7-million-dollar verdict, professional musicians are waking up to a fact that ordinary Internet users have long known: our overbearing copyright laws are a threat to creativity. Numerous musicians are expressing disbelief at the verdict, seeing little similarity between the two songs aside from a general “feel” or “vibe.” According to the LA Times: Los Angeles composer and producer Gregory Butler said Tuesday afternoon that his friends and colleagues in the industry were stunned by…
Apple, that’s who. Or Microsoft, or any of the other vendors whose products US government contractors have successfully exploited according to a recent report in the Intercept. While we’re not surprised that the Intelligence Community is actively attempting to develop new spycraft tools and capabilities—that’s their job—we expect them to follow the administration’s rules of engagement. Those rules require an evaluation under what’s known as the “Vulnerabilities Equities Process.” In the White House’s own words, the process should usually result in disclosing software vulnerabilities to vendors, because “in the majority of cases, responsibly disclosing a newly discovered vulnerability is clearly…
Ugly facts often make bad law. But it’s important to not let opinions about the specific defendants that appear in court influence how the law will be applied to millions of other individuals. That’s why today, EFF filed an amicus brief urging the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a dangerous decision that would make employees criminally liable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) for violating an employer’s computer use restriction. The case, United States v. Gilberto Valle, has already received a lot of attention in the press, as it involves the so-called “cannibal cop,” a New York…
Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Orrin Hatch are now in a stand-off over a bill that would put secretive trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement on the Fast Track to passage through Congress. The White House meanwhile, has intensified their propaganda campaign, going so far as to mislead the public about how trade deals—like the TPP and its counterpart, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)—will effect the Internet and users’ rights. They are creating videos, writing several blog posts, and then this week, even sent out a letter from an “online small business owner” to everyone on…