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EFFector Vol. 35, No. 15 Monday, November 27, 2023 [email protected]

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a
desired change.

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In our 801st issue:

* To Address Online Harms, We Must Consider Privacy First
Every year, we encounter new, often ill-conceived, bills written by state,
federal, and international regulators to tackle a broad set of digital topics
ranging from child safety to artificial intelligence. These scattershot
proposals to correct online harm are often based on censorship and news
cycles. Instead of this chaotic approach that rarely leads to the passage of
good laws, we propose another solution in a new report: Privacy First: A
Better Way to Address Online Harms [1]. In this report, we outline how many
of the internet's ills have one thing in common: They're based on the
business model of widespread corporate surveillance online. Dismantling this
system would not only be a huge step forward to our digital privacy, it would
raise the floor for serious discussions about the internet's future.


[1] [link removed]
Read more: [link removed]

* Debunking the Myth of “Anonymous” Data
Today, almost everything about our lives is digitally recorded and stored
somewhere. Each credit card purchase, personal medical diagnosis, and
preference about music and books is recorded and then used to predict what we
like and dislike, and ultimately, who we are. Sometimes companies say our
personal data is “anonymized,” implying a one-way ratchet where it can
never be dis-aggregated and re-identified. But this is not
possible—anonymous data rarely stays this way.

Read more: [link removed]

* Introducing Badger Swarm: New Project Helps Privacy Badger Block Ever More Trackers
EFF has introduced Badger Swarm, a new tool for Privacy Badger that runs
distributed Badger Sett scans in the cloud. Badger Swarm helps us continue
updating and growing Privacy Badger’s tracker knowledge, as well as
continue adding new ways of catching trackers. Thanks to continually
expanding Badger Swarm-powered training, Privacy Badger comes packed with its
largest blocklist yet.

Read more: [link removed]

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EFF Updates

* EFF Urges FTC to Address American Resellers of Malware on Android TV Set-Top Boxes
The Federal Trade Commission must act to halt sales by Amazon, AliExpress,
and other resellers of Android television set-top boxes and mobile devices
manufactured by AllWinner and RockChip that have been pre-infected with
malware before ever reaching consumers, the EFF urged in a letter to FTC
commissioners.

 

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* Platforms Must Stop Unjustified Takedowns of Posts By and About Palestinians
Social media is a crucial means of communication in times of
conflict—it’s where communities connect to share updates, find help,
locate loved ones, and reach out to express grief, pain, and solidarity.
Unjustified takedowns during crises like the war in Gaza deprives people of
their right to freedom of expression and can exacerbate humanitarian
suffering.

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* EFF to Supreme Court: Fifth Amendment Protects People from Being Forced to Enter or Hand Over Cell Phone Passcodes to the Police
EFF has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling undermining Fifth
Amendment protections against self-incrimination, and to find that
constitutional safeguards prevent police from forcing people to provide or
use passcodes for their cell phones so officers can access the tremendous
amount of private information on phones.

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* To Best Serve Students, Schools Shouldn’t Try to Block Generative AI, or Use Faulty AI Detection Tools
Generative AI gained widespread attention earlier this year, but one group
has had to reckon with it more quickly than most: educators. Teachers and
school administrators have struggled with two big questions: Should the use
of generative AI be banned? And should a school implement new tools to detect
when students have used generative AI? EFF believes the answer to both of
these questions is no.

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* On His 42nd Birthday, Alaa Abd El Fattah’s Family Files UN Petition for His Release
Alaa Abd El Fattah—a prominent Egyptian-British coder, blogger, activist,
and one of the most high-profile political prisoners in the entire Arab
world—recently spent a tenth consecutive birthday in prison. But we are
newly optimistic for his release: Alaa's family and International Counsel
acting on his behalf filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations
requesting urgent action over his continuing and unjust imprisonment in
Egypt.

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* Audio Version of EFFector Newsletter
Here’s an audio version of EFFector. We hope you enjoy it!

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Announcements

* Help Shape the Future of Digital Rights: Participate in the EFF Community Survey
We value that our success in defending digital rights, innovation, and
essential freedoms is possible because of your support, confidence, and
readiness to take action. Over the years, our community and the people
impacted by our work have broadened, but EFF's dedication to listening to
you, your concerns, and what drives your commitment has stayed the same.
Please help us do that by participating in our survey. Just 10 minutes of
your time will help EFF better understand our community and the members that
power our work.

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* We Want YOU (U.S. Federal Employees) to Stand for Digital Freedoms
U.S. federal employees and retirees can support the digital freedom movement
through the Combined Federal Campaign—the largest and most successful
annual charity campaign for U.S. federal employees and retirees. Last year,
175 members of the CFC community raised over $34,000 for EFF's lawyers,
activists, and technologists fighting for digital freedoms online. But in a
year with many threats popping up to our rights online, we need your support
now more than ever.

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* "Speaking Freely" is back!
EFF's series of interviews with free-speech thought leaders has returned.
Cindy Cohn interviewed Agustina Del Campo [1]—Director at the Center for
Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information at the University
of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina—to discuss how, though free speech
has a bad rap these days, it is inherent in any advocacy agenda aimed at
challenging and changing the status quo and existing power dynamics. And
Jillian York interviewed David Kaye [2], a clinical professor of law at the
University of California, Irvine; co-director of the university’s Fair
Elections and Free Speech Center; independent board chair of the Global
Network Initiative; and the former UN Special Rapporteur on Promotion and
Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression from 2014-2020.


[1] [link removed]
[2] [link removed]
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Job Openings

* Assistant Director of Federal Affairs
As the Assistant Director of Federal Affairs, you are responsible for helping
EFF advocate for digital civil rights and liberties at the federal government
level.  You have extensive knowledge of Capitol Hill and how congressional
offices work and think. You know how to talk to Hill staff.   You know how
to manage multiple ongoing projects and communication threads, and you enjoy
building rapport with people across diverse backgrounds, interests, and
experiences.

This position is part of a highly cross-disciplinary Legislative team, and
will collaborate regularly with our legal, technologist, and activist
colleagues. As threats to digital civil liberties arise, you may need to
quickly get up to speed on any number of issues that EFF works on, and be
prepared to discuss complicated, emerging issues with diverse audiences. You
do not need a technical background—your colleagues have significant
technical expertise—but you welcome the opportunity to engage on and learn
about technology and how it relates to EFF’s policy goals.  Above all, you
understand what it takes to bring people together around a common purpose
while navigating disagreements and matching tactics and strategies to
advocacy goals.

We value candidates who bring diverse experiences and perspectives,
professional and otherwise, to our team and to EFF as a whole.

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MiniLinks

- Children’s Tablet Has Malware and Exposes Kids’ Data, [EFF] Researcher Finds (TechCrunch)
TechCrunch had an exclusive look into the research done by EFF’s Alexis
Hancock [1], which found that a children’s tablet that her daughter had
received as a birthday present had a slew of security and privacy issues that
could have put her daughter’s and other children’s data at risk.* *


[1]
[link removed]
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- Cruise’s Emails With SF Police Ranged From Clubby to Contentious (Bloomberg News)
Hundreds of pages of emails between the driverless car company Cruise and the
San Francisco Police Department show how contentious — and at times,
collaborative — their relationship has been since the autonomous vehicle
firm offered its robotaxi service to the public last year. The trove of
emails, unearthed by EFF and shared exclusively with Bloomberg News, offers a
rare glimpse into the interaction between a company at the cutting edge of
transportation technology and the law enforcement tasked with making sure its
cars operate safely.

[link removed]

- Haley Walks Back Declaration That All Social Media Users Must Be Verified (Washington Post)
After facing considerable blowback, Republican presidential candidate Nikki
Haley walked back her declaration that all people should be required to
verify their identities to use social media platforms, after previously
calling anonymous accounts a “national security threat.” EFF’s David
Greene explained that cracking down on anonymity also could harm vulnerable
individuals, including whistleblowers, political dissidents and victims of
domestic violence.

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- Would the Proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty Hurt More Than It Helps? (GZERO “Patching the System” podcast)
EFF’s Katitza Rodriguez joins Nick Ashton-Hart—head of delegation to the
Cybercrime Convention Negotiations for the Cybersecurity Tech Accord—and
moderator Ali Wyne of the Eurasia Group to discuss a treaty that covers too
broad a scope of crime and could fail to protect free speech and other human
rights across borders while not even having the intended effect of combating
cybercrime.

[link removed]

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-------- SUPPORTED BY DONORS
-------------------------------------------------

Our members make it possible for EFF to bring legal and technological
expertise into crucial battles about online rights. Whether defending free
speech online or challenging unconstitutional surveillance, your
participation makes a difference. Every donation gives technology users who
value freedom online a stronger voice and more formidable advocate. Check out
our FAQ for information on memberships, donations, shop orders, corporate
giving, matching gifts, and other ways to give.
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If you aren't already, please consider becoming an EFF member today.


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* Administrivia

Editor:
[email protected]

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
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Membership & donation queries:
[email protected]

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries:
[email protected]

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. MiniLinks do not necessarily represent
the views of EFF.

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