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EFFector Vol. 36, No. 2 Monday, February 12, 2024 [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 804th issue:

* Vote No on Proposition E to Stop Police from Testing Dangerous Surveillance Technology on You
San Francisco voters will confront a looming threat to their privacy and
civil liberties on the March 5, 2024 ballot. If Proposition E passes, we can
expect the San Francisco Police Department will use untested and potentially
dangerous technology on the public, any time they want, for a full year
without oversight.

Read more: [link removed]

* San Francisco Police’s Live Surveillance Yields Almost 200 Hours of Spying–Including of Music Festivals
A new report reveals that in just three months, from July 1 to September 30,
2023,  the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) racked up 193 hours and 19
minutes of live access to non-city surveillance cameras. That means for the
equivalent of 8 days, police sat behind a desk and tapped into hundreds of
cameras, ostensibly including San Francisco’s extensive semi-private
security camera networks, to watch city residents, workers, and visitors
live. An article by the San Francisco Chronicle analyzing the report also
uncovered that the SFPD tapped into these cameras to watch 42 hours of live
footage during the Outside Lands music festival.

Read more: [link removed]

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EFF Updates

* Victory! Ring Announces It Will No Longer Facilitate Police Requests for Footage from Users
Amazon’s Ring has announced that it will no longer facilitate police's
warrantless requests for footage from Ring users. This is a victory in a long
fight, not just against blanket police surveillance, but also against a
culture in which private, for-profit companies build special tools to allow
law enforcement to more easily access companies’ users and their data—all
of which ultimately undermine their customers’ trust.

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* Dozens of Rogue California Police Agencies Still Sharing Driver Locations with Anti-Abortion States
California Attorney General Rob Bonta should crack down on police agencies
that still violate Californians’ privacy by sharing automated license plate
reader information with out-of-state government agencies, putting abortion
seekers and providers at particular risk, EFF and the state’s ACLU
affiliates urged in a letter to Bonta.

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* The PRESS Act Will Protect Journalists When They Need It Most
Our government shouldn’t be spying on journalists. Nor should law
enforcement agencies force journalists to identify their confidential sources
or go to prison. To fix this, we need to change the law. Now, we’ve got our
best chance in years. The House of Representatives has passed the Protect
Reporters from Exploitive State Spying (PRESS) Act, H.R. 4250, and it’s one
of the strongest federal shield bills for journalists we’ve seen.

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* Save your Twitter Account
Amid reports that X—the site formerly known as Twitter—is dropping in
value, hindering how people use the site, and engaging in controversial
account removals, it has never been more precarious to rely on the site as a
historical record. So, it’s important for individuals to act now and save
what they can. We’ll tell you how.

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* What Apple's Promise to Support RCS Means for Text Messaging
You may have heard recently that Apple is planning to implement Rich
Communication Services (RCS) on iPhones, once again igniting the green versus
blue bubble debate. RCS will thankfully bring a number of long-missing
features to those green bubble conversations in Messages, but Apple's
proposed implementation has a murkier future when it comes to security.

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

[link removed]

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Announcements

* “How to Fix the Internet” is an Anthem Award Winner!
We’re honored to announce that EFF’s “How to Fix the Internet [1]”
podcast is a winner in the Anthem Awards! By amplifying the voices that spark
global change, the Anthem Awards — presented by the International Academy
of Digital Arts & Sciences [2] — seek to inspire others to take action in
their own community. That’s exactly why we launched “How to Fix the
Internet;” through curious conversations with some of the leading minds in
law and technology, we want our listeners to become deeply informed on vital
technology issues and join the movement working to build a better
technological future. We offer our deepest thanks to the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation's Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology [3],
our partners at Pacific Content [4], and all the amazing thinkers, makers,
and doers who have been our guests. We’re about to launch Season 5, with
guests including Taiwan Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang, U.S. Sen.
Ron Wyden, D-OR, documentary filmmaker Alex Winter, and many more — so
subscribe today [5]!


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* Virtual Panel Discussion: How the Julian Assange Prosecution Endangers All Journalists
Register now to join EFF’s Cindy Cohn; Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney
at the Knight First Amendment Institute; Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's
Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project; and Trevor Timm, executive director
of Freedom of the Press Foundation at 12:30pm EST this Thursday, Feb. 15 for
a virtual panel discussion on how the Julian Assange prosecution endangers
all journalists. Whether you love or hate Assange, the Espionage Act case
against the Wikileaks publisher for printing government secrets in 2010 poses
an extreme risk to press freedom. With the U.K. high court scheduled later
this month to hear what could be Assange's final appeal before he's
extradited to the United States, the threat to journalists is high.

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* EFF at CactusCon 12
EFF is happy to be back at CactusCon for their 12th event, Feb. 16 and 17 in
Mesa, AZ! We'll be at the conference with an info booth, so be sure to stop
by and chat with our team and learn about the latest developments in the
fight for digital freedoms. We're excited to say hi to new and returning
faces and answer any questions about our work! Of course, you can also pick
up a special gift as a token of our thanks when you take advantage of our
membership specials or donate! We'll even have various swag, like stickers,
pins, hoodies, and more.

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Job Openings

* Associate Director of Technology Policy and Research
EFF is seeking an experienced manager to support our Public Interest
Technology team of ethical technologists. If you're eager to utilize your
management skills and technical knowledge to make a significant impact on the
future of digital rights, this is the opportunity for you. In this position,
you will play a crucial role in supporting EFF’s Public Interest Technology
(PIT) efforts, addressing critical digital rights issues such as censorship,
surveillance, and encryption. You will lead a small team of technologists
developing robust research frameworks and technical policy approaches. And
you will have opportunities to contribute to EFF’s programmatic cross-team
working groups and public-facing initiatives.

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* Staff Technologist
EFF is seeking a Staff Technologist to join our Public Interest Technology
team. This team consists of ethical technologists focused on defending
encryption, outwitting censors and trackers, and leading the way towards a
better digital future. This position will primarily focus on developing one
of our open source software projects, a browser extension called Privacy
Badger which is used by several million people around the world to help fight
pervasive non-consensual surveillance online. When users choose Privacy
Badger, they’re not just installing another ad blocker; they’re joining
the movement to bring about the end of data brokers and targeted advertising,
and we are looking for a technologist to play a key role in getting us there.

[link removed]

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MiniLinks

- Swifties Want a Massive Crackdown on AI-Generated Nudes. They Won’t Get One (Rolling Stone)
EFF’s Katharine Trendacosta says we’ll see “the unstoppable movement of
the Swifties versus the immovable object that is the legislature,” a
Congress slow to respond to “basically anything.” But taking a measured
approach to AI legislation is best, especially if existing laws can address
the problems.

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- Unpacking the Supreme Court’s Tech Term (National Constitution Center’s “We the People” Podcast)
EFF’s David Greene joins the Knight First Amendment Institute’s Alex Abdo
and the American Enterprise Institute’s Clay Calvert to explore key cases
before the Supreme Court that have raised important questions at the
intersection of technology and law.

[link removed]

- Bodycam Maker Axon Is on a Mission to Surveil America with AI (Vice/Motherboard)
Axon, maker of Tasers and police body cameras, has bought AI surveillance
company Fusus. Local governments should ensure privacy-invasive data
collection and tools aren’t adopted by bureaucracy instead of careful
public review, EFF’s Beryl Lipton said.

[link removed]

- New DNA technique could bring closure for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (High Country News)
Investigators believe this new DNA process has huge potential to solve cases
involving missing Indigenous people, but EFF’s Jennifer Lynch warns this
data is so sensitive that it should be protected by the Fourth Amendment,
which guards against unreasonable search and seizure.

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- 'I’m sorry for everything...' Facebook's Zuck apologizes to families at Senate hearing
Executives from the top social media companies faced contentious, sometimes
contemptuous, questioning from the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday
in a hearing titled: Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation
Crisis. In anticipation of the hearing, several advocacy groups including EFF
wrote to the Committee to warn that, "some of the legislative proposals
before the Senate including STOP CSAM Act of 2023, EARN IT Act of 2023, and
KOSA 2023 bear this risk and threaten to jeopardize all internet users’
access to information and privacy."

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

Back issues of EFFector are available via the Web at:
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