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EFFector Vol. 37, No. 3 Friday, March 21, 2025 [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 820th issue:

* Meet Rayhunter: A New Open Source Tool from EFF to Detect Cellular Spying
Cell-site simulators (also known as Stingrays or IMSI catchers) are devices
that masquerade as legitimate cell-phone towers, tricking phones within a
certain radius into connecting to the device rather than a tower. Rayhunter
is a new open source tool we’ve created that runs on an affordable mobile
hotspot that we hope empowers everyone, regardless of technical skill, to
help search out cell-site simulators around the world.

Read more: [link removed]

* Trump Calls On Congress To Pass The “Take It Down” Act—So He Can Censor His Critics
We've opposed the Take It Down Act because it could be easily manipulated to
take down lawful content that powerful people simply don't like. Earlier this
month, President Trump demonstrated he has a similar view on the bill. He
wants to sign the bill into law, then use it to remove content about — him.
And he won't be the only powerful person to do so.

Read more: [link removed]

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EFF Updates

* In Memoriam: Mark Klein, AT&T Whistleblower Who Revealed NSA Mass Spying
EFF is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mark Klein, a bona fide
hero who risked civil liability and criminal prosecution to help expose a
massive spying program that violated the rights of millions of Americans. We
are forever grateful to him for having the courage to stand up and EFF will
do our best to honor that legacy by continuing the fight.

[link removed]

* The Foilies 2025: Recognizing the Worst in Government Transparency
One of the most powerful tools to fight back against bad governance is public
ridicule. That's where we come in: Every year during Sunshine Week, EFF,
MuckRock and AAN Publishers team up to publish The Foilies. This annual
report—now a decade old—names and shames the most repugnant, absurd, and
incompetent responses to public records requests under FOIA and state
transparency laws.

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* First Porn, Now Skin Cream? ‘Age Verification’ Bills Are Out of Control
Age verification laws do far more than "protect children online"—they
require the creation of a system that collects vast amounts of personal
information from everyone. And what started as a misguided attempt to protect
minors from "explicit" content online has spiraled into a tangled mess of
privacy-invasive surveillance schemes affecting skincare products, dating
apps, and even diet pills, threatening everyone’s right to privacy.

[link removed]

* EFF to NSF: AI Action Plan Must Put People First
Earlier this month, EFF shared its recommendations for the new AI Action Plan
with the National Science Foundation (NSF): First, government procurement of
decision-making (ADM) technologies must be done with transparency and public
accountability—no secret and untested algorithms should decide who keeps
their job or who is denied safe haven in the United States. Second,
Generative AI policy rules must be narrowly focused and proportionate to
actual harms, with an eye on protecting other public interests. And finally,
we shouldn't entrench the biggest companies and gatekeepers with AI licensing
schemes.

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* “Guardrails” Won’t Protect Nashville Residents From AI-Enabled Camera Networks
Nashville’s Metropolitan Council is one vote away from passing an ordinance
that is supposed to provide “guardrails” for connected camera systems and
the many privacy problems they bring with them. But the only true way to
protect Nashville’s residents against dragnet surveillance and
overcriminalization is to block access to these invasive technologies
altogether.

[link removed]

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

[link removed]

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Announcements

* EFF at CypherCon
EFF is excited to attend CypherCon for the first time April 3-4 in Milwaukee!
In addition to having an info booth at the conference, we'll be hosting an
Ask the EFF panel and giving a presentation on the digital surveillance and
technology impacts on various movements for bodily autonomy, namely, sex
worker rights, trans liberation activism, and most recently, abortion access
and reproductive rights.

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* Livestream: Life and Migration Under Surveillance at the U.S.-Mexico Border
EFF has gathered firsthand knowledge of tech concerns at the U.S.-Mexico
border through a series of visits to communities on both sides of the border
where we interviewed journalists and activists, and mapped and documented the
proliferation of border surveillance tools. As a result of this work, EFF has
created a traveling exhibit featuring information and photographs from
several years of research and advocacy.

Join our livestream on April 3 where we'll explore digital civil liberties at
the U.S.-Mexico border and the work that brought the exhibit to life.

[link removed]

* Tracking and Documenting Surveillance at the U.S.-Mexico Border
We'll also be talking about our border exhibit and digital civil liberties
at the U.S.-Mexico border at an in-person event on April 9. The event is free
and will be hosted by the Internet Archive in San Francisco.

[link removed]

* EFF at BSides San Francisco
EFF is excited to be back for BSides San Francisco April 26-27! We'll be in
the expo area. Also, catch our talk about tracking Dark Caracal—"the
world's dumbest cyber-mercenaries"—who we've observed making a number of
hilarious mistakes which have allowed us to gain insights into their
activities and targets (and see just how effective they actually are despite
it all).

[link removed]

* EFF at Black Hat USA
EFF will also be back in Las Vegas for Black Hat USA in August! We're excited
to be in the Business Hall, where you can come say hi and learn more about
the work we are doing to defend digital freedoms.
If you're planning to submit a talk to Black Hat USA, the call for papers
ends on April 2.

[link removed]

* Corporate Giving and Sponsorships
EFF thanks the organizations who support our work. Learn how your team can
join the fight for digital rights at eff.org/thanks [1].


[1] [link removed]
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Job Openings

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MiniLinks

- US Immigration Service Wants Social Media Handles of Visa Applicants (Newsweek)
"It really creates a massive chilling effect," EFF's Saira Hussain warned
Newsweek about a US Citizenship and Immigration Services plan to collect
social media data on prospective citizens. Green Card holders who have lived
in the US for decades "could be chilled from sharing their opinions because
they are concerned they are going to be vetted and denied immigration
benefits such as naturalization."

[link removed]

- The right-to-repair movement is growing as wins stack up (NBC News)
Speaking to NBC News, EFF's Kit Walsh explained why manufacturers continue to
fight against independent repair and how the law needs to be changed to
support consumer rights.

[link removed]

- Data Broker Brags About Having Highly Detailed Personal Information on Nearly All Internet Users (Gizmodo)
“The data broker industry is under-regulated, opaque, and dangerous,
because as you saw in the video, brokers have detailed information on
billions of people, but we know relatively little about them,” EFF's Lena
Cohen told Gizmodo. “You don’t know what information a data broker has on
you, who they’re selling it to, and what the people who buy your data are
doing with it.”

[link removed]

- Your Car May Be Spying On You. Here’s How to Get It to Stop. (Consumer Reports)
Speaking to Consumer Reports, EFF's Thorin Klosowski explained why data
collection by car companies is so disturbing. “Your driving data goes to a
half a dozen companies you’ve never even heard of for reasons you’d
perhaps never agree to if asked directly,” he said.

[link removed]

- Are Chicago police using CrimeTracer? (Chicago Reader)
EFF's José Martinez told the Chicago Reader how the confusing, secretive
history of Chicago's payments for a "law enforcement search engine" called
CrimeTracer is “indicative about how much of this is just business and
marketing, aside from mass data collection for the purposes of state and
corporate violence."

[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
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