EFFector Volume 37, Issue 7
🤫 Meta’s Secret Spying Scheme
Welcome to an all-new EFFector, your regular digest on everything digital rights from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
In our 824th issue: A disturbing surveillance advertising scheme, the Supreme Court deals a direct blow to the free speech rights of adults, and the terrible return of the NO FAKES Act.
When you lose your rights online, you lose them in real life. Become an EFF member today! Featured Story: Meta's Sneaky Pixels
It's no secret that adtech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon are spying on what we do online. To them, your data is their business—and business is good. But even in the shady world of surveillance advertising, some things are frowned upon. Like, say, circumventing basic security features to snoop on what websites people are visiting, as Meta was recently caught doing.
The sneaky tracking scheme was uncovered by researchers last month. They found that, on Android devices, tracking pixels embedded on websites were covertly passing data from mobile browsers to Meta's Facebook and Instagram apps. This violates the principle of sandboxing, which is intended to keep applications from communicating with each other, and was accomplished by exploiting a feature mainly used for developer testing.
Speaking to Ars Technica, a Google representative characterized the scheme targeting Android users as employing "invasive techniques" that "blatantly violate our security and privacy principles.” For its part, once Meta's shenanigans were exposed, the company announced it would "pause the feature" and pledged to resolve "potential miscommunication" over Google's policies.
Over on our blog, we wrote a post explaining exactly what was discovered, what makes it so egregious, and what you can do to protect yourself. You can follow some of those tips right now, like using a privacy-focused browser, deleting unnecessary apps, or (shameless plug alert) installing Privacy Badger, EFF's free browser extension that blocks trackers to stop companies from spying on you online.
That said, the best way to stop this cycle of invasive tracking techniques and patchwork fixes is to ban online behavioral advertising entirely. We need strong federal privacy laws to ensure that you, not Meta, control what information you share online. Sing it loud: End surveillance advertising now.
READ MORE… EFF Updates🪪 AGE VERIFICATION: Last week, the Supreme Court upheld Texas' age verification law, which forces adults to submit personal information over the internet to access websites that contain a certain amount of sexual content. As we write on our blog, this speech-trampling decision will negatively affect nearly every U.S. adult internet user's privacy, anonymity, and digital security for the foreseeable future.
🙅 NO FAKES? NO THANKS: A U.S. Senate bill that takes a flawed approach to concerns about AI-generated “replicas” is back and nastier than ever. The latest version of the NO FAKES Act mandates an entire new online censorship regime with few safeguards against abuse, EFF explains.
👮 COPPING OUR DATA: When the cops come snooping, what online data can they obtain and how? A variety of federal and state laws give police the power to get your data from online services. Our new blog post summarizes how these legal processes work and what users (and service providers) can do to improve privacy.
💡 COMPETITION: Can the good people of Australia be trusted to choose what apps to install? Apple doesn't think so, evidently. The iPhone maker recently painted a grave picture of the technological horrors that await Australia should they (quite sensibly) dare to open up Apple's "walled garden."
📝 BORDER TIPS FOR JOURNALISTS: It's hard to predict whether your device will be searched when entering the U.S., but there are things reporters can do to lower the risks to themselves and their sources. This security checklist—which compliments a new training module for journalism students in border communities—was written to help journalists prepare for transit through a U.S. port of entry while preserving the confidentiality of their most sensitive information.
🎧 ON THE POD: On a recent episode of EFF's "How to Fix the Internet" podcast, we chatted with Harlo Holmes, digital security director at Freedom of the Press Foundation. Listen to our discussion to learn more about what it takes to digitally secure journalists’ work in an environment where critics, hackers, oppressive regimes, and others seem to have the free press in their crosshairs. EFFecting Change: EFF Turns 35!
Since 1990, EFF's lawyers, activists, analysts, and technologists have used everything in their toolkit to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world. They've seen it all and, in this special EFF 35th Anniversary livestream, we'll explore what's next for technology users.
On Thursday, July 10th at 11:00am PDT, join EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn, EFF Legislative Director Lee Tien, EFF Director of Cybersecurity Eva Galperin, and Professor / EFF Board Member Yoshi Kohno for a live Q&A. Register now for this free virtual event.
LEARN MORE… MiniLinks🗣️ Free Speech 🔒 Privacy 🔎 Transparency 🌎 International 🗝️ Security "If we want to get out of this cycle of new tracking technique and then patchwork fixes, I think we need to ban online behavioral advertising."
AnnouncementsEFF Events Celebrating 35 Years - We're celebrating EFF's 35th Anniversary! Check out brand new member t-shirts, hoodies, and stickers. And become a monthly or annual recurring donor by July 10 and you'll get a custom EFF35 Challenge Coin. https://eff.org/35rm.
Corporate Giving and Sponsorships - EFF thanks the organizations who support our work. To learn more about how your team can make an impact, visit https://eff.org/thanks.
Supported by DonorsOur 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. https://www.eff.org/pages/membership-faq
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