The leading nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation.
FEATURED UPDATE
Can the government stop you from finding out it’s been looking through your private Facebook content as part of a “secret” investigation that’s not actually secret? That’s the question raised by an alarming case pending in the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals. Facebook has described the investigation as "known to the public," and the timing and venue match the January 20th, 2017 Presidential Inauguration protests (known as “J20”), the investigation of which is indeed quite public. But even if the...
FEATURED UPDATE
In 2014’s Alice v. CLS Bank , the Supreme Court ruled that an abstract idea does not become eligible for a patent simply by being implemented on a generic computer. Since then, Alice has provided a lifeline for real businesses threatened or sued with bogus patents. This week, on the third anniversary of Alice , EFF is launching a new series called Saved by Alice where we’ll collect these stories of times when Alice came to the rescue. Over the...
FEATURED UPDATE
EFF has just launched the Summer Security Camp , a two-week membership drive that challenges people everywhere to gather ‘round the online rights movement and prepare for the privacy and free speech challenges in their paths. Through the 4th of July, anyone can join EFF or renew as a Silicon level member for just $20 and receive a set of miniature field guides with shareable security tips covering these crucially relevant issues : Border Search : know your rights and...
Pull the Plug on Internet Spying Programs
Description:
Every day, the U.S. government sweeps up the emails, text messages, and other online communications of millions of innocent Americans. Congress has a chance to rein in this unconstitutional spying when a key surveillance authority expires at the end of this year.
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Privacy Badger
Description:
Privacy Badger is a browser add-on that stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. If an advertiser seems to be tracking you across multiple websites without your permission, Privacy Badger automatically blocks that...
Surveillance Self-Defense
Description:
Surveillance Self-Defense is EFF's online guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices...
The Latest
Third Circuit Declares First Amendment Right to Record Police
The First Amendment protects our right to use electronic devices to record on-duty police officers, according to a new ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Fields v. Philadelphia . This right extends to anyone with a recording device, journalists...
Court Orders Prolific Patent Troll Shipping & Transit LLC To Pay Defendant’s Legal Bill
Shipping & Transit LLC, formerly known as Arrivalstar , is one of the most prolific patent trolls ever. It has filed more than 500 lawsuits alleging patent infringement. Despite having filed so many cases, it has never had a court rule on the validity of its patents. In recent...
McMansion Hell Take-Down Controversy Illustrates Why the Supreme Court Should Clarify the Limits of the CFAA
When McMansion Hell blogger Kate Wagner received Zillow’s letter last month demanding that she take down her architecture parody blog, she was scared. So scared that she temporarily disabled access to her blog via McMansionHell.com until she could find an attorney. We’re happy she found us...
Trump’s FBI Pick Has a Troubling History on Digital Liberties
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Christopher Wray, will begin his confirmation process next week , giving lawmakers an opportunity to press him on his previous statements about expansive surveillance authorities and aggressive copyright prosecution. Defense of the USA PATRIOT Act During his tenure as Assistant...
Amid Unprecedented Controversy, W3C Greenlights DRM for the Web
Early today, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards body publicly announced its intention to publish Encrypted Media Extensions (EME)—a DRM standard for web video—with no safeguards whatsoever for accessibility, security research or competition, despite an unprecedented internal controversy among its staff and members over this issue. EME...
EFF Condemns Detentions at Turkish Digital Security Meeting
Turkish police officers in plainclothes yesterday raided a digital security training meeting on the island of Buyukuda in Istanbul, seizing equipment and detaining ten attendees, including Idil Eser , the director of Amnesty International Turkey. The human rights defenders are still being held in separate detention centers,...
Photographer Attacked by Ludicrous Online Voting Patent
Ruth Taylor never expected that her hobby would get her sued for patent infringement. Her photography website, Bytephoto.com, barely made enough advertising revenue to cover hosting costs. The site hosts user-submitted photos and runs weekly competitions, decided by user vote, for the best. Ruth’s main business is her own photography...
Everyone Should Have a Real Chance to Defend Their Anonymity
In the United States, everyone – even people accused of offensive conduct – has the right to communicate anonymously, and that right should never be infringed without due process. Our Constitution guarantees this, whether your speech is popular or distasteful. At the same time, people who have been harmed by...
Here's How We're Fighting Back Against “Secret” Search Warrants
Can the government stop you from finding out it’s been looking through your private Facebook content as part of a “secret” investigation that’s not actually secret? That’s the question raised by an alarming case pending in the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals. Facebook has described the investigation as "known to...
A July 4 Message from EFF Co-founder John Perry Barlow
There’s no need to make America great again. America has been great since it became the first nation on Earth where a set of ideas became the ruling principles of governance. America was great when it was established that authority did not come from divine right, or indeed anything beyond...
