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EFFector Vol. 36, No. 10 Wednesday, July 31, 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 812th issue:

* The KOSA Internet Censorship Bill Just Passed The Senate—It's Our Last Chance To Stop It
It’s a terrible idea to let politicians and bureaucrats decide what people
should read and view online. But that didn’t stop the Senate from passing
KOSA, a bill that will let the federal and state governments investigate and
sue websites that they claim cause kids mental distress, on Tuesday in a 91-3
vote. This development means that the House could now take up and vote on
this bill at any time. We need to act now [1] and let the people making the
laws know that the public is becoming aware of their censorship plans—and
won’t stand for them.


[1]
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Read more: [link removed]

* EFF and Partners Urge EU Delegates to Help Fix UN Cybercrime Treaty’s Deep Flaws
The final negotiating session to approve the deeply flawed UN Cybercrime
Treaty is happening now. EFF and 21 international civil society organizations
have urged delegates to push back on this dangerous pact that will grant
intrusive surveillance powers without robust human rights and data protection
safeguards. For more on the treaty’s flaws, see our articles about
criminalizing security research and journalism [1], surveillance abuses [2],
and inadequate privacy and data protection safeguards [3]. You can also watch
the media briefing [4] that EFF and our allies provided.


[1]
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[2]
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[3]
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[4]
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EFF Updates

* How to Fix the Internet Podcast: AI on the Artist's Palette
Digital artist, academic, and cultural critic Nettrice Gaskins discusses how
she applies both artificial intelligence and her own life experience to
create something new and original and expand the boundaries of Black artistic
thought.

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* Why Privacy Badger Opts You Out of Google’s “Privacy Sandbox”
Privacy Badger’s latest update opts users out of ad tracking through
Google’s “Privacy Sandbox,” which is Google’s way to let advertisers
keep targeting ads based on your online behavior without using third-party
cookies. And Google just backtracked on its privacy promise, announcing that
third-party cookies are here to stay, anyway.

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* Detroit Takes Important Step in Curbing the Harms of Face Recognition Technology
In a first-of-its-kind agreement, the Detroit Police Department recently
agreed to adopt strict limits on its officers’ use of face recognition
technology as part of a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a victim of this
faulty technology.

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* Hundreds of Tech Companies Want to Cash In on Homeland Security Funding. Here's Who They Are and What They're Selling.
EFF has released the U.S. Border-Homeland Security Technology Dataset,
detailing vendors who supply or market technology for the U.S. government’s
increasingly AI-powered homeland security efforts, including the so-called
“virtual wall” of surveillance along the Mexico border.

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* Victory! EFF Supporters Beat USPTO Proposal To Wreck Patent Reviews
EFF—and all Americans—got a big victory last month when we defeated a set
of rules that would have mangled one of the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office’s most effective systems for kicking out bad patents.

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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

* Carolina Botero, Connecting Humanity, and 404 Media are 2024 EFF Award Winners
Carolina Botero, Connecting Humanity, and 404 Media will receive the 2024 EFF
Awards for their vital work in ensuring that technology supports freedom,
justice, and innovation for all people. The EFF Awards recognize specific and
substantial technical, social, economic, or cultural contributions in diverse
fields including journalism, art, digital access, legislation, tech
development, and law. Register now [1] for the EFF Awards ceremony, 6:30 pm
PT on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 at the Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop in
San Francisco’s Presidio. The ceremony also will be livestreamed and
recorded.


[1] [link removed]
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* Betting on Your Digital Rights: EFF Benefit Poker Tournament at DEF CON 32
Ante up! The EFF Benefit Poker Tournament is back for DEF CON 32! Your buy-in
for the Friday, Aug. 9 tournament is paired with a donation to support
EFF’s mission to protect online privacy and free expression for all. Play
for glory. Play for money. Play for the future of the web! Seating is
limited, so reserve your spot today. Every player gets a custom EFF deck of
cards celebrating the tournament.

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* Tech Trivia at DEF CON
Join us for EFF Tech Trivia at DEF CON 32 on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 6:30 PM!
EFF's team of technology experts have crafted challenging trivia about the
fascinating, obscure, and trivial aspects of digital security, online rights,
and internet culture. Competing teams will plumb the unfathomable depths of
their knowledge, but only the champion hivemind will claim the First Place
Tech Trivia Trophy and EFF swag pack. The second and third place teams will
also win great EFF gear.

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* EFF Livestream Series: Reproductive Justice in the Digital Age
This summer marks the two-year anniversary of the /Dobbs/ decision
overturning /Roe v. Wade/. Join EFF on Wednesday, Aug. 28 for a livestream
discussion about restrictions to reproductive healthcare and the choices
people seeking an abortion must face in the digital age where everything is
connected and surveillance is rampant. Learn what’s happening across the
United States and how you can get involved.

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Job Openings

* Legal Secretary
EFF seeks an experienced professional to join our Legal team as a full-time
Legal Secretary who will support our attorneys in their litigation,
appellate, and policy practices. We’re looking for a problem-solver with
great communication, time-management, and organizational skills who can
monitor dockets, manually calculate and calendar litigation dates, research
court rules to ensure filings are compliant, and e-file our documents. EFF
legal secretaries also provide admin support such as maintaining case files,
running and entering conflict checks, creating binders, and maintaining the
legal policy docket.

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* Legal Interns
We’ll start taking applications Thursday, Aug. 1 for the Spring 2025 Intern
Class! EFF’s legal internships provide law students with a unique
opportunity to develop valuable skills and real-world experience while
working with a nationally-recognized public interest law firm. Legal interns
learn from and assist EFF’s staff attorneys in all aspects of litigation,
including legal research, factual investigation, and drafting of memoranda
and briefs, while also helping with policy research, client counseling, and
the development of public education materials (e.g., blog posts). EFF’s
docket ranges across the technological and legal landscape, from online fair
use of copyrighted materials to illegal government spying.

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MiniLinks

- J.D. Vance Left His Venmo Public. Here’s What It Shows (WIRED)
“Access to anyone’s social connections can reveal sensitive private
information and expose them to security risks,” EFF’s Jennifer Lynch
said. High-profile politicians like Vance may be especially prone to social
engineering attacks and impersonation. “If someone who is a candidate for
vice president hasn’t changed his privacy settings, I don't know how a
company can expect the rest of us to stay on top of this.”

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- DHS Has a DoS Robot to Disable Internet of Things ‘Booby Traps’ Inside Homes (404 Media)
DHS bought a dog-like robot that it modified with an antenna array to let law
enforcement overload people’s home networks to disable any “internet of
things” devices, according to a transcript obtained by EFF’s Dave Maass
and shared with 404 Media.

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- AT&T Says Hackers Stole Call Records of ‘Nearly All’ Wireless Customers (The Washington Post)
“This data could be used by spies, scammers and other bad actors to target
specific people or to improve the feasibility of scams by impersonating the
numbers of people you regularly call,” said EFF’s Cooper Quintin.

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- How Did One CrowdStrike Mistake Stop the World? We Asked 3 Experts. (Mashable)
"The problem is that we're really stuck in a digital monoculture, where
decades of anti-competitive practices have created it so that just one system
is responsible for so much of what we rely on from everything from airlines
to hospitals to schools," EFF’s Rory Mir said. "One mistake that creates a
big failure, it happens, it's an inevitability. But for it to have this sort
of impact is a policy failure."

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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:
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Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is
encouraged. MiniLinks do not necessarily represent
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